Where There is Love, There is Life
by AppleCiderr
Summary: England couldn't take it anymore. He knew he was hated by the other countries for his past actions, but nobody was taking the time to realize he wasn't the same England from old times. He had given up. He couldn't live like this. Looking towards the stars, he whispered,"I wish that I could be loved.." Then, he disappeared.
1. A Wish Granted

**Ah, plot bunnies, the bane of my existence, yet such a beautiful thing at the same time. I saw something kind of like this, but much different. I don't remember the name, but if I do, I will tell you. Long story short, it didn't end the way I was hoping it would, so I'm making my own, because I CAN.**

 **Enjoy, lovelies!**

– – – – –

July 4th, 10pm

– – – – –

England didn't even care anymore, he just didn't care. Maybe it had something to do with the weather, but rain was normal in his country. No, that wasn't the real reason. But it certainly wasn't helping his mood. He knew the real reason, but he just didn't want to face it. Today was the Fourth of July, in other words, America's birthday. He still hadn't gotten over it, and it had been over 200 years. But today it had been even worse, because today they had a world meeting. Everything just went wrong..

America wouldn't stop complaining through the entire meeting, whining about the fact he had to have a world meeting on his birthday. England yelled at him, telling him that he needed to focus on work. It wasn't like they were going to be there forever. Once again the arguments started, but everyone was taking America's side. It was okay, he was used to that, unfortunately, after the meeting he heard America talking about him.

"Why did the meeting have to be _here_ of all places? And on my birthday?"

England knew he probably shouldn't have taken it seriously, but he couldn't help it. He knew everyone hated him for what he and his country did in the past. His brothers made it very clear they never wanted anything to do with him. The other countries like to tell him that too. They loved pointing out how small and weak he had become. He hated hearing that, because he didn't need to be told something he already knew.

Bringing his bottle of rum back up to his lips, he chugged it again. It was his tradition every year on the Fourth of July. He would stay home, get as drunk as he possibly could, and let out all his emotions. He could never tell his true feelings to anyone, they probably would just laugh at him..

England felt tears begin to fall as he thought about it. Finishing the glass of rum, it dropped to the floor with the other four bottles he had already drank. There was a huge blush on his face, but he didn't care. He brought his hands to his face, beginning to vocally sob. He couldn't keep it all in anymore. He just couldn't.

"I-I.. I t-try to c-change f-for you all," He began, now hugging himself while leaning against the front door. "I-I'm not a t-tyrant a-anymore! I-I'm sorry for what I did back t-then!" He yelled angrily. "I-I j-just.. W-why do y-you all s-still hate me? I'm t-trying m-my best!"

His thoughts went to America. Oh, his sweet America.. Did he really hate England that much? Reaching into his breast pocket, the drunk man pulled out a small piece of paper. It was extremely wrinkled and brittle, but he still carried it with him everywhere. It was a drawing that America made him when he was young. It was something he treasured deeply. But it seemed that America didn't treasure him as much as England would hope.

Not that he didn't deserve it. America probably didn't realize just how much him leaving tore apart England. It made the country wonder.. If maybe he had just agreed to America's request for independence, they'd have a better relationship. But even then, his boss at the time would have probably still said no. But even then, America would have known England didn't agree, but had no choice.

"He hates me.." England sniffed out. "They hate me, everyone hates me.. I deserve to be miserable.." He heard the noises outside had stopped. Turning to his window, he saw that the night sky and it's stars were now clearly visible. It seemed not even weather would stick around for him. He started to cry even worse, not being able to hold it in.

"I h-hate l-living l-like t-this.." He said to no one in particular. "I-It b-bloody hurts.. I-I know I d-deserve it.. B-but.." He sniffed again, looking back towards the stars with despair in his eyes.

"I wish.." England began,"I wish.. That I could be loved.." He clutched to the tiny paper still, as he cried into his other hand. He didn't even notice when he began to fade away, until he had completely vanished. The paper than had been in his hands gently floated to the ground, now lying among the glass bottles.

A few stray tears had been left on the already crinkled paper.

– – – – – –

July 5th, 8am

– – – – –

"Has anybody seen England?"

That was the first question that echoed through the world meeting room on July 5th. Their meeting was going to last 3 days, and usually people didn't skip out until the third day, when the most important things had already been discussed.

Everybody looked around the room, waiting for someone to say something. Germany frowned slightly, before asking,"Nobody has seen England?"

"This does not make any sense, aru," China said after a moment. "England never misses a meeting, he never has"

" _Oh Cher.._ " France said,"Do you think he is sick?"

Japan looked towards him and put down his neat stack of papers. "I do not think so, after all, the UK is not having any large famines or sicknesses as of late, there is no reason why he would be sick," He said calmly.

"Maybe we should have someone go check on-" Canada muttered, before being interrupted by his brother.

"HEY! I have an idea! Why don't we send someone to check on Iggy?" America declared loudly.

Germany quickly nodded, saying,"That sounds good, even though he doesn't have anything important to discuss this time, as he said yesterday he didn't, this is still out of character for him. America, why don't you and France go?"

" _Bonne idee!_ " France happily said.

"What?!" America yelled,"But I can't! I still have to discuss global warming and how we need to make a recycle-man hero!" Everyone in the room seemed to slump in despair.

Canada tugged on his brother's shirt, before softly saying,"Brother, wouldn't the more heroic thing to do be to go check on England?"

America gasped at what his brother said, eyes widening. "Yeah!" He yelled,"It would be very heroic!" He yanked off his name tag, throwing it on the table, before yelling,"Hey! Come on Francypants!"

" _Bonne Journee!_ " France called out happily, before getting up and following after America. Everyone let out a happy sigh of relief, realizing they weren't going to have to hear the same speech that America gave out every damn meeting. Finally, they got back to business.

It didn't take America and France long to reach England's house. France had been there many times, and America as well. Knocking on the door of the cottage, France received no answer. "England~ _Mi amor_ , everyone is dearly worried for you! Please open the door!" He called.

There was no answer on the other side. France frowned a bit, this really wasn't England behavior. Whenever France showed up unannounced, he would usually yell very loudly, open the door and snap at him. This time he said nothing.

"Hm.. Maybe he's not home?" America guessed curiously, turning and shrugging towards France. " _Mais je ne comprends pas_ ," France replied,"He knew there was a meeting today, but he missed it. I can't think of anywhere else he would be.."

America frowned again, before snapping his fingers and saying,"I got it! Why don't you just call him?"

Why didn't I think of that? France wondered, before pulling out his own cell phone, with a baguette key chain hanging from it, and dialed England's number. The phone quickly replied with,"The number you have dialed is not in service.."

" _Oh cher_.. I think something is wrong.." France said worriedly,"It's telling me his number is not in service, I called him two days ago and it was fine.."

Now America seemed a little worried. He moved forward, finding that the door was unlocked. "Iggy! We're coming in!" America called, and opened the front door. He found that as soon as he pushed the door open, there was the sound of clinking glass.

America pushed the door open faster, and saw a glass bottle rolling away. That kinda worried him, England always kept his home squeaky clean, but now? The floor had several glass bottles on it, and a piece of paper on the ground.

France picked up on of the bottles, and then brought it to his nose. He sniffed slightly, smelling the alcohol, and then turned the bottle upside down, watching what was left of the bottle slowly drip down and onto the hardwood floor. _It's fresh.. And considering what day yesterday was, I know when England drank them_ He thought.

"America, I think something might be wr-" He began, turning around to see America holding a small piece of paper, and staring at it with a forlorn expression.

France walked over and looked at the crinkled paper, seeing a childish drawing of younger America and England, together holding hands. "I can't believe he still has this," America whispered.

" _Mon cheri_ , he has always kept that on his person.. Since you drew it," France told him, remembering when England declared he was never going to lose it. He guessed he meant it.

America sniffed and then stood up. "Then where did he go?" He demanded in sadness. France looked around, before saying,"I don't know.. But I feel like something might be wrong. We must go tell _monsieur_ Germany, and see if anyone is willing to help is look. We don't disappear unless our country does, and we're standing on Britain soil now, so I'm not sure where he would have gone"

"Then let's hurry and go get everyone!" America yelled, running out the door. However, he skidded to a stop and then ran back inside, grabbing the small paper gently, before putting it into his bomber jacket. Then, he ran outside and went back to the meeting room with France. They explained everything to the others, and many people began to worry, everything they'd heard about was very un-England like.

However, there wasn't much they could do. They had one more meeting day, and if England didn't show up then, they'd all have to go back to their countries to check in and see if they had any work. They would have to reach out to England's siblings, whom never attending the world meetings anyways.

America felt extremely worried. Where would England go? He pulled out the crinkled paper and looked at it again. He had to wonder, was it his fault England vanished? He had only seen England truly cry twice, and both times were because of him. He felt tears begin to fill his eyes. England never really showed his emotions to them, other than anger. Was he sadder than they all thought?

Why would England leave? He just didn't understand..

And he wouldn't understand for a long time..

– – – – –

July 4th, 11pm

– – – – –

The matron looked outside, noticing the rain had finally let up. She was glad it did, because many of the kids were refusing to go to sleep because the thunder scared them. She told them that if the rain did not let up within an hour, they could stay up a little longer. Luckily, it stopped around the fifty-minute mark.

Turning to the six children, all of which were covered in blankets and had cups of hot chocolate. They pouted sadly, realizing the rain had let up and that they had to go to bed. "Alright everyone, remember our deal?" She asked them.

"Yes Ms. Sally.." They all said in an upset tone. They began to sip their hot chocolate quickly, trying to beat the clock that didn't exist.

She sighed, and crossed her arms over her chest. "We can always make more hot chocolate tomorrow, don't worry, but you need your sleep if you wanna grow up to be big and strong," Sally told them,"On Friday, I will let you all stay up, okay?"

The children looked down and around the room, still not wanting to accept their fate. That's when one little girl saw something outside the door. "Ms. Sally!" She exclaimed, pointing towards the styled glass door. "There's someone outside!"

"Oh no, that trick isn't gonna work this time," Sally told them. The other children turned to look out the door, and realized that the little girl wasn't kidding.

The oldest boy, William, pointed out the door,"Molly wasn't kidding, Ms. Sally! There's a little boy out there!" Sally sighed, turning towards the door, expecting to see nothing and then turn back around to see the children run away. Instead, she saw a blonde haired little boy, who was shivering and looked soaked to the bone.

"Oh my goodness!" She exclaimed, before running to the door, unlocking it, and opening the door. She quickly scooped up the child, bringing him into the warm orphanage. The other children followed closely.

After she had wrapped a towel around him, and placed him by the fireplace, she examined him. He was very small, and was probably only around 4-5 years old. His hair, though still wet, was obviously blonde. He had lime green eyes, and pale skin. "Little one, are you okay?" She asked him, handing him her cup of hot chocolate.

He looked down at it, holding it in his little hands, before nodding and looking back up at her. "What were you doing out in the rain? Where are your parents?" She asked him. The child shook his head.

"You don't have any parents?" Sally questioned. He shook his head again. Molly gasped and smiled at him. "Then does he get to stay with us?" She asked hopefully.

Sally looked at her and the other children, and said,"Of course, he's an orphan, he's got nowhere to go, so he's in our family now"

Turning back to the child, she gave him a gentle smile and asked,"What's your name, honey?" The little child scrunched up his cute little face in thought, and it was extremely adorable.

"Arthur.." He told her calmly. Sally smiled at him again, and then declared,"Well then Arthur, welcome to the Kirkland Orphanage"

Sally stood up, taking the hot chocolate, that he had sipped from, but it was obviously too much for a tiny child. "I'm going to find you some pajamas, okay?" She said, and heading up the stairs.

"Arthur!" William said happily, walking over and kneeling down to the child. "I'm William! I'm ten, I'm the oldest here" He introduced himself. Then, he introduced everyone else. In order from youngest to oldest, Molly, John, Scott, Mary, Wendy, and himself.

Sally returned with some green footsie pajamas, they were a little big on Arthur, and the sleeves were too long. He looked down at himself, before smiling and bringing his arms up, wanting a hug. Sally smiled, before kneeling down and hugging him. Very quickly, the other children joined the hug. Little Arthur smiled into the hug, feeling his heart fill with a very amazing emotion. Love.

Finally, Sally managed to put the children to bed, despite all the excitement of a new sibling. She loved her job, seeing the smile on Arthur's face made her day. Part of her wondered where he came from, and who would leave such a sweet child out on their own. But, another part of her didn't want to find out. From now on, she was Arthur's caretaker, and his mother figure. And she would take care of him for however long he was at her orphanage, the Kirkland Orphanage.

She would make sure he was always happy, and that he was always loved.

– – – – –

 **I hope you guys all enjoyed, lovelies!**

 **I need your help! Do you guys think there should be a ship in this story? If so, who do you think would work?**

 **Next Chapter: Little Arthur growing up, and possibly something about America and the others**


	2. A Child's Joy

**To be honest, I was amazed at the feedback I got from this story. I'm really happy that all of you really liked this story :3 I was a little worried about what you guys would say. But, I am glad to add Hetalia to my story list, be sure to check my profile to see when it will get updated, because I'm going to begin putting my stories on there, and which order I'm updating :3**

 **Also, about the shipping. It's pretty split. I'm going to put up a poll on my profile. There will be four choices, shipping included in those choices! So please, gimme your opinion! Despite the angry cat that is my profile picture, I'm actually not that mean of a person~**

 **Anyways, enough about me, enjoy!**

– – – – –

The next few days were a bit of a struggle. Sally had attempted to write some papers to make sure everything was okay with Arthur, and she could find his parents, if they were looking for him.

Things were hard, though, because the government explained that, without a proper last name to go by, they really had no way to figure out who he really was. On Saturday, they had taken a swab of spit from the child's cheek, and also took his fingerprints. They told her results would come as soon as possible.

They explained that he wouldn't be able to go to school until they sorted the issue out, so she would watch him while all the other kids were at school. Unfortunately, the day they found him was Friday. So he spent the two days getting close to all the other kids, and then on Monday, they were gone. Sally made the mistake of not even explaining the concept of school to the five year old. Though, to be honest, she had expected him to know what it was, since most children in the UK began going to school when they were five.

She was alerted to her mistake when, after the other children had gone to school, Arhur walked down the stairs sobbing. He was wearing his lime green bunny footsie, hugging a stuffed bear to his chest, and there were tears tumbling down his cheeks. Sally quickly turned and placed down her cooking supplies, asking,"Arthur, honey, what's wrong?"

Arthur sniffed, before looking around the living room. His big, sad green eyes turned to stare back up at her, filled with despair much older than his supposed age was. "W-where did everyone go?" He asked in sadness. "Did they get tired of me..? I-I tried my best!" He looked absolutely devastated, it made Sally's heart wring with pity. He thought the other children left because they didn't like him, what conditions had the poor child been through before he showed up at their doorstep?

Sally quickly gathered the sobbing child in her arms and cooed to him. "Child, don't worry, they haven't left you, they had to go to school, they'll be back around 3:30, okay?"

"What's school?" He asked her quietly.

"Hmm.." She thought for a moment, before saying,"Well, school is where people go to learn how to read, write, do math, and learn about other things" Arthur watched her, his green eyes filled with curiosity.

"Oh.." He muttered in understanding,"Can I go to school?" He looked up at her hopefully, a smile growing on his little face.

Sally smiled and then walked back towards the kitchen, hearing the small child's feet pitter patter after her. "Of course you will, but first we need to figure out where you came from, so we can make sure that there isn't anybody looking for you, if there is someone who loves you looking for you, it wouldn't be right for us to keep you away from them," She explained to the child.

Arthur's green eyes filled with awe and he nodded firmly. Sally then smiled and knelt down, handing him a small plate for breakfast. The little child needed her help climbing onto the chair, and she needed to stack up some old phone books for him to be able to reach the top of the table. She ordered the child to tell her when he wanted down, and then went to go finish some errands.

Little Arthur ate his eggs on toast calmly, looking around out the large window, which showed the expanse of trees behind the orphanage. Sally had explained to him that they were no in London, they were farther out, and closer to the forests and farms. Arthur didn't mind much, the trees were really pretty.

After finishing his food, he looked back outside the window, he saw something he had only seen in Molly's storybook. It was a white horse, with a horn coming out of it's head, just above it's eyes. Arthur gasped in surprise. "Ms. Sally! Look!" He exclaimed, pointing to the majestic creature. "It's a Unicorn!"

"Huh?" Sally asked, looking out the back door curiously. There wasn't really a backyard for the orphanage, so it wasn't very uncommon for horses to show up. However, there was nothing there. Well, he was still at the age, maybe he was just pretending. "Wow! It's very pretty!" Sally said with fake enthusiasm.

Arthur furrowed his not-so-small eyebrows at her. He wasn't stupid, she wasn't even looking at the unicorn. Once Sally walked away, the little boy got back up, running up the stairs and into the bedrooms. Going into the boy's dorm, he picked up a piece of paper and a pencil from the mahogany table in the middle of the room. If she couldn't see the Unicorn, even though he thought it was pretty noticeable, than he'd just have to draw it for her.

His little feet barley made it back down the stairs without falling, as he nearly tripped over his own feet several times. Once all the way down the stairs, Arthur sat down in front of the glass door, seeing the unicorn was still there. It tilted it's head at him curiously, before going back to grazing. Lying on his stomach, Arthur pulled his bunny hood off his head, deciding it was time to be serious. He brought his pencil down and began to draw, sticking his tongue out of his mouth in concentration.

As soon as he began drawing, it seemed so simple. Arthur felt like he could have been drawing for centuries with how quickly it came to him. He drew everything, from the grass it was grazing on, to it's long, curly blue mane and tail. Once it was finished, he sat up, sitting crisscrossed and curling his toes. He held up the drawing next to the unicorn, squinting his big, lime green eyes, and comparing the two. Then, a smile grew on his face as he saw they looked almost identical, it was perfect!

Quickly getting up, he allowed his legs to carry him to where Sally was. She wasn't that far, she was sitting on her favorite pink floral armchair with a matching toadstool. She had her usual coffee next to her, and a book in her hand. She was still able to keep an eye on Arthur, but able to relax at the same time.

"Ms. Sally! Ms. Sally!" Arthur called,"Look! Look what I made! I drew the unicorn!" He held the picture on both sides, holding it out to her.

Sally put her book down, honestly expecting another crayon based drawing. Not that they were dumb or anything, but that was what children at Arthur's age were usually capable of. However, what she saw was.. Amazing. It looked like someone like George Stubbs would have painted, something that belonged in some type of museum.

"Arthur.. You drew this?" She asked in surprise. The child didn't seem phased. "Yes ma'am!" He replied, before turning it around to look at it. "I think I sorta messed up a bit on his horn, I couldn't get the swirl all the way cuz' he kepts moving.." He said insecurely. Arthur was very insecure for some reason, it was as if he expected them to all suddenly say one day that they hated him, and that he was nothing but trouble. They truly needed to work on his confidence.

Quickly putting her book down, she scooped up the child in a hug and spun around. This caused the little boy to let out a peal of giggles and squirm in her grip. "Arthur! This is amazing! It looks like it belongs at an art show! Where did you learn to draw like that?" She questioned gently.

Arthur seemed to think about her question, before saying,"I dunno.. I don't think I'ved ever drawn before.. It just felt easy to me.." Was it possible for Arthur to be an art prodigy? She truly didn't know, but that was her hunch.

Before she could say anything else, the door to the orphanage opened up, and the children ran in after their long day of school. Arthur quickly squirmed out of her hold, and grabbed his paper again. "William! Scott! Molly! Everyone! Look what I made!" He exclaimed, gaining awed noises from the children.

Sally couldn't seem to focus for the rest of the day. Arthur was obviously a prodigy at drawing, he was such an incredible child. But even if he was a prodigy, surely there was some reason as to why he was so good? Even stuff like this required practice and encouragement, especially for children Arthur's age. So, where were his parents? Such a talented child, surely he was related to someone with the same type of skill? There had to be someone looking for him, right?

– – – – –

Wrong, according to the test results.

They had not been able to find absolutely anything about Arthur. They used both his fingerprints and the DNA from his saliva. There was nothing. No medical record of any child with Arthur's DNA, and no medical record of anyone who could have been related to Arthur. Technically, Arthur could not even be British for all they knew.

The best explanation that the hospital could give her was that he might have come from a poverty ridden third world country, or some place where his parents were not able to care for him, and somehow found a way to get him into England. However, since he was a child, they gave her all the paperwork needed to give him a proper identity and citizenship. She gave him the name Arthur Kirkland, deciding to keep his first name as what he said it was, since that was all he could seem to remember from his past life.

A week later, the child was able to go to school. He had continued to show that he was a prodigy when it came to drawing, as he made many more pictures. Some were of magical creatures he claimed he saw, others were of her or the other children. An official from the school managed to see him in action while coming to observe Arthur, to make sure he was decent for the school. She was amazed as well.

She had to admit, he looked absolutely adorable in his uniform clothing. Since he would be going to the same school as the other children- LFK Primary School-, he wore the same thing as them. The boys wore purple sweater vest, a white dress shirt underneath it, with a lavender and dark purple striped tie, and the school crest, which was a black pegasus, on the right side of the front of their vest. The pants they wore were a dark gray, the boys wore dark gray socks and black dress shoes. The girls wore the same, but gray skirts and knee high socks instead.

"Have a good day at school!" Sally called,"And please teach Arthur everything he needs to know!" William gave her a thumbs up in reply, continuing to hold the shorter blonde's hand as they walked towards the school bus stop.

Molly continued to babble on. "Arthur! You'll love school! Everyone there is really nice! Except Ms. Umbridge, but she's just the Counselor, as long as you don't get in trouble you won't see her!" She said,"Oh! And there's this nice man who always gives us a bag of scones from his bakery before we make it to the bus stop to go home, he always has an extra one for Ms. Sally! He says they went to Church together, I think he has a crush on her!"

Mary and Molly suddenly got into an argument about the topic, while John, Wendy, Scott, and William cringed slightly. Those two girls never seemed to be able to agree on anything. Arthur wasn't really paying attention, as he was too awed by the Double Decker bus that suddenly drove up at the stop. On the side of it, it said LFK Primary School Bus. The bus opened up, and a young man smiled at them. "Hello Kirkland kids!" He said happily,"Ready for school?"

William released a groan and said,"No! All my teachers ever talk about is how we'll be starting secondary school soon and trying to prepare us for it, but nobody is listening. It's not even going to be on any of the tests anyways" He climbed on the bus with everyone else.

The young bus driver saw Arthur, who stared back at him and gave a shy smile. Molly suddenly jumped from behind Arthur and said,"Stan! This is our new baby brother! His name is Arthur!" Stan grew another smile.

"Well, King Arthur, it's a pleasure to meet you!" He said, before allowing the kids to get on the bus. Molly held his hand and forced him to sit on the second floor with them. "Don't worry, little bro, Stan has a nickname for every kid on the bus! Like William is Little Bill. He also calls Scott, Scott Pilgrim," She explained to him.

"What's that?" Arthur questioned curiously

"It's some type of Canadian Comic book, I asked Miss Sally about it but she said we couldn't look at it until we're older," William told Arthur simply. Arthur simply nodded, feeling the bus start up. He watched the streets of London go by as they drove towards their school. The streets of London looked crowded, but seemed very familiar to him. He couldn't really place the feeling, but he didn't mind.

It only took a few more stops to reach the school. It was rather large, according to William it was a very popular school, but also very prestigious.

Molly took it upon herself to lead Arthur to his classroom, since he had her old teacher. Children were already in their spots and ready to go. "Ms. Lucy!" Molly whispered, before pulling Arthur inside.

The blonde woman turned and smiled at them. "Ah, Molly, not that it's not good to see you, but shouldn't you be in your class?" She asked.

The excitable redheaded girl said,"I know, but I needed to help my little brother, Arthur get to his class. It's his first day!"

"Ah!" Lucy said,"I remember you, Headmistress Megareth spoke very highly about you, welcome to my class, would you like me to introduce you to the class?"

Molly left, and Miss Lucy introduced Arthur to the class, whom seemed slightly curious about him, especially when they heard the last name Kirkland. There was at least one Kirkland child in every Primary School grade, and it had been that way for a long time, as the orphanage had been around for many years.

Arthur took his seat, and listened as best he could to the teacher. However, the tables were all set up so six children could sit at one table. But there was one table with only one girl at it. She was sitting at attention, but she also looks very stressed out. She looked a little different than the other students. She had a book with different symbols on it, and her eyes were smaller than the other children. Why wouldn't anybody sit with her? 

When the teacher gave them some free time, Arthur moved to her table, as she still hadn't gotten up. He sat across from her and said,"Hello, I'm Arthur Kirkland" She gave him a depressed look, before she said," _Sumimasen ga, watashi wa eigo o hanasu koto ga dekimasen_ "

Surprisingly, the words clicked perfectly for Arthur. He understood everything she said. She said 'I'm sorry but I can not speak English'. Without batting an eye, Arthur replied," _It's okay, I can understand you_ " Her eyes widened in surprise.

" _You can?_ " She asked in shock, before looking down sadly," _Nobody ever has been able to, so they all avoided me.._ "

Arthur frowned again, before standing up and walking to her side. " _Well, I can, want to be friends?_ " He asked, before saying," _My name is Arthur Kirkland, pleased to meet you!_ " The girl grew a smile, as she got up from her chair, and bowed at him.

" _My name is Orihara Yachi, a pleasure to meet you as well!_ " She said happily. Arthur smiled at her, before settling in the seat next to her.

" _Where are you from?_ " He asked her. " _Oh, I'm from Japan, me, my father, and my baby brother moved out here to escape all the issues in Japan, he's a writer,_ " She explained proudly.

Arthur tipped his head curiously," _Do you have a mom?_ " She suddenly looked a little upset, and then said," _No.. I'm um.. I'm adopted.. So is my baby brother. B-but I don't mind, my dad is the best dad ever!_ "

" _There's nothing wrong with it!_ " Arthur quickly replied," _I'm an orphan too! I don't really remember much, other than the rain hitting my face and waking up on the stairs of Kirkland Orphanage, I don't mind though, I gots lots of siblings_ "

Yachi smiled at him again, before opening up her book once more. " _What's that?_ " Arthur questioned curiously, seeing her reading the book the wrong way, but it still looked cute, it had a cat in it!

" _Oh_ ," Yachi began," _It's manga, it's one of my favorites, called Chi's Sweet Home, it's about a family who adopts a cat, but cats aren't allowed in their apartment, so they have to keep it a secret, but the kitty keeps doing silly things and getting in trouble!_ " She looks slightly shy, before asking," _Want to read it with me?_ "

" _I'd love to!_ " Arthur said happily.

The two children sat with each other, while Lucy watched with a dropped jaw. From what the headmistress told her when she went to examine Arthur, he was a prodigy, but in art. Megareth never told her anything about the child being able to speak another language, a whole different one at that! He was only five, yet he was carrying out a full blown conversation with Yachi in Japanese!

It wasn't that Lucy hadn't tried to help Yachi. Her father, Izaya, knew English very well, he barley had an accent, but Yachi was having a difficulty learning a second language at such a young age. Lucy questioned him on why he thought it was a good idea to move to a completely different country, and he merely said that it was safer for them. Yachi knew a few words, but she meant a few. Like two or three that she could string to make a sentence. It had been hard for the girl.

But now Arthur was talking to her, and he seemed to light up the little girl's life. But..Where did a five year old manage to learn such a complicated language?! She simply had to talk to Matron Sally about this.

– – – – –

The Headmistress called about Arthur

On his _first day of school_

The woman didn't say much, other than that they wanted to speak to her as soon as possible about Arthur at the school. To be honest, she was expecting something bad.

However, when she walked into the room, sitting down in the seat next to the blonde boy, who was swinging his legs, she saw that the Primary school teacher and headmistress were both smiling.

"Why didn't you tell us Arthur could speak other languages?" The headmistress questioned,"You showed me he was a prodigy in art, why did you hide his language skills?"

Sally's eyes filled with confusion, before turning to look at the young child, and the back at the two woman in front of her. "I had no knowledge of this.." She told them.

"Oh.. You didn't?" The teacher asked,"I'm Miss Lucy, Arthur's teacher. I witnessed him carry out a full conversation in Japanese, the girl is from there, and cannot speak English, he introduced himself to her in English, but when she replied back in Japanese, he switched languages right away, it was incredible! He truly is a prodigy!"

Arthur didn't really know what a prodigy meant, but this was the second time he was hearing it, so he guessed it must be a pretty important word. But, he continued to listen anyways, trying to figure out what the grown ups were talking about.

"He has shown himself to be excelling in things such as art and language, I suggest you help him open explore more subjects related to art and language, talents like this must be encouraged, especially when he seems to enjoy it very much as well," The woman explained,"You truly have a gifted child"

Sally smiled, and looked at Arthur, the little boy smiled back, glad to see he wasn't in any trouble after all. Though she had a sneaking suspicion he might end up causing her a lot of trouble in his teens, if he stayed with her that long.

"Can we keep this a secret?" She asked the headmistress and teacher,"I know it would be good for the orphans to get more attention than they do, and usually prodigies like Arthur are highly sought out.. But I don't want to put that kind of stress on their lives, I don't want people to try and adopt the kids just for their intelligence, to show off that they have a smart child. I want Arthur and the others to have a good childhood, not swamped by selfish expectations"

"Of course, Matron, we were thinking the exact same thing," Megareth said,"Don't worry, we'll hide this the best we can for now, if anything happens, we'll at least hide his name" And that was that. After everything had been explained, she took Arthur by his hand, and they walked back towards the orphanage together.

Arthur looked up at the young matron curiously, before asking,"What's a pro-deh-gee?" Sally giggled at him, making Arthur pout sadly. He couldn't help the way he said it, it was a weird word.

"Well.. A prodigy is a young person who shows that they are really good at something, even though they are very young, and nobody really taught them how to do it. It means your very smart and intelligent with something, and Arthur, you seem to be a prodigy for art and language," She explained,"You weren't in trouble, Arthur, but it isn't every day you meet a five year old who knows how to speak a completely different language"

Arthur bit at his lip again, before he said,"It didn't.. Feel different.. It felt just like talking to me.. Like I've always been able to do it" He got no response from the woman, as she suddenly veered off course, taking Arthur to a bakery nearby, feeling like the child deserved a treat, especially for surviving his first day of school without a meltdown, like some of the other children.

"What would you like, sweetie?" She asked him lovingly. "Hmm.. Can we get a bag of stuff to bring back to everyone else?" He asked her,"Like some chocolate chip cookies?"

Sally smiled at him, tapping her chin before saying,"Well.. I could always make my cookies that you all like so much.. But if you'd rather get them from here then-" Suddenly, Arthur was pulling he away from the bakery entrance, excitedly saying,"Yes! Let's go!"

"Will I get to have more than one this time though? Last time Molly took all of them"

"Of course, Arthur, besides Molly isn't supposed to have that much sugar anyways"

Staring at the backs of the two people speaking, a redhead released a sigh of emotion and looked back down at his hands. He wondered if his relationship with England would have been better if he had been nice like that.

"Scotland.." A voice nearby said, making the country jump in surprise. Three others stood in front of him, worried looks on their faces. Two were redheads, and one had brown hair, and they all shared green eyes. It was Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Wales

Scotland sighed sadly once more. It had been almost three months since England vanished, France had contacted them about the situation right away. The countries had all been searching when they had time, but England seemed to have disappeared. Many people didn't like England because of the past, but in a situation like this, everyone felt rather depressed. He remembered accidentally walking in on Italy crying on Germany, he had been comparing England's disappearance to the Holy Roman Empire's.

Scotland and his brothers all came to their brother's country to search for the man, since they had known him the longest and remembered his hiding spots. England was at none of these. Scotland felt pretty guilty about how he and his brothers treated England, but none of them wished to put their pride down for even a few minutes to truly apologize to him, and now he was gone. They all felt a strange emptiness in their hearts.

But none of them were taking it as bad as America. He blamed himself, especially since the last day anyone saw England was July 4th. France also seemed to have toned down several notches as well, he searched the most, next to America, but he also flirted way too much, even more than he used to. But when he thought no one was looking, he would often be staring at nothing, a strange look in his eyes.

America often pulled a piece of paper out of his bomber jacket and would stare at it, saying nothing. It was apparently an old drawing America made England before the younger fought for independence, they had found it on England's floor when they went to look for him.

Scotland brought himself to a standing, and followed after his brothers. They were looking for England again, even though it seemed like a lost cause. Their baby brother was gone. Where he went, nobody knew. All they could hope is that he really hadn't disappeared forever.. But it still didn't make sense. England's country was still extremely powerful, still standing tall.. There was no reason for him to suddenly vanish..

So where could he have gone?

– – – – – –

Their secret, of course, couldn't stay hidden forever.

Someone had let some information slip through their fingers, and now it was known, in London at least, known that there was an orphan prodigy child. Sally had gotten several calls from many parents whom wanted to come and see Arthur. She usual had at least a few couples wanting to adopt every few weeks, though usually they decided that they didn't want to deal with the trouble of children, and left without adopting.

This new group of people frustrated her, did they even really care about Arthur? He was a child, he wasn't an adult, he needed things, he would get into trouble, he would get sick. Arthur was also a very affectionate child, he needed to know he was loved. The poor boy didn't need to live in a household where he was only being used to show off to other people.

She would have refused them all if she could, and she almost did, but a few of them threatened legal action, since she didn't have any evidence or 'true reason' for why she was refusing them. So, unfortunately, she had to let them see the boy.

Looking up from her desk, she smiled at the children. All of them were making a card tower together. Of course, William was the only one stacking the cards anymore, because the tower had gotten so tall, the younger children couldn't reach it. They only had two cards left, and then the card tower would be done.

"Go William!" The ever-excited Molly yelled.

"Don't yell, Molly!" Scott snapped,"You'll make him shake!"

William had his tongue sticking out from his mouth, as he held the last two cards between two fingers. His brown bangs kept falling in his eyes, causing him to have to stop and push them from his face, before continuing to lower the card.

Finally, he placed the card down. The whole tower wobbled, making Wendy and Mary release panicked noises. When it finally settled, everyone sighed in relief.

Just as William went to place the last card down, a gust of wind burst through the open window nearby, sending the cards flying, and into the faces of William, John, and Arthur.

"NOO!" The children yelled in horror. Scott had fallen to his knees, grabbing a pile of the cards and yelling,"WHY?!"

Sally smiled and then stood up, saying,"Alright children, do you know what day it is today?" The children froze in their mini-card castle funeral, all turning to stare at her with wide, excited eyes. Arthur watched them all with confusion, wondering what was suddenly so exciting. "It's Friday?" He questioned meekly.

"No, silly," Sally said kindly, ruffling Arthur's hair. "It's adoption day! Today is the day the people wanting to adopt can come in and meet you guys, and you can decide if you want them to be your new mommy and daddy!"

"Oh!" Arthur exclaimed excitedly.

"Now, pick up the cards, and go get ready for the parents to come through, okay?" She told them. The children rushed to listen to her, before heading up the stairs.

Scott picked up his Rugby trophy by his bed, saying,"I can show this off now that my team won!"

Mary and Molly had picked up their makeup kits. "Hey maybe the mommies will let us put makeup on them! We need practice for when we become famous!" She said excitedly, before turning to Wendy with a scorning look. "Because _somebody_ won't let out practice on her"

Wendy flipped her blonde bangs back and stuck her tongue out at the two younger girls. "Makeup is too girly," She said, before grabbing an animal book. "I think they'll be more impressed by my animal books!" Wendy loved animals, she wanted to make an animal rescue center when she was older, she loved to preach about it often.

"What are you gonna show them, Arty?" John asked, making the younger look up quickly. Arthur blushed, tugging on his green jumper, before he replied,"I'm not sure.. Maybe my drawings? I dunno.." He had never done this before, the first two months he wasn't able to be adopted, as they were still working on making him an actual identity. Both times, William took him into town. Athur felt extremely guilty about taking away the possibility of William finding a family to call his own. However, according to the other children, only a few couples showed up the second time, and the first time nobody had even showed up.

Arthur guessed that the grown ups were just busy, so he didn't blame them. They could always come next time.

But this time, he was now a living person, according to the country. So he could be adopted now. However, the child couldn't help but be scared. What if nobody wanted to adopt him? He looked outside the window by his bed, noticing there were more faeries outside than usual. They seemed to be watching him intently, but he didn't really mind. Even if others couldn't see them, knowing they were near him helped him feel better.

Arthur picked up one of his sketchbooks, wrapping it around his chest tightly, when they all heard the ringing of a bell. The bell that was above the front door had rang, that meant the potential parents had finally arrived.

The children all ran to the stairs, peeking over the railings. There were six couples, which were apparently more than usual, John whispered. Sally seemed to be a little upset while talking to them, and Arthur wondered why. Maybe she would just miss them if they were adopted?

"Oh! The children are here now," Sally said, pointing at the spying kids. "Usually, I let them do what they like while meeting the parents, so you can see what they enjoy to do," She says, using one hand to motion to the kids, telling them to do what they wanted. Most of the children ran down right away, except for William, Wendy, and Arthur.

They stared at the couples suspiciously, and Arthur whispered,"I don't like the look of them.." Four out of the six couples had very snooty looks to them, and were staring at the children like they were pieces of meat, examining them for anything wrong.

"Yeah.." Wendy whispered back to Arthur, hugging the five year old from behind in a comforting manner. "They look like they're looking for something.."

William didn't like the look of most of them, and quickly said,"Arthur, Wendy, try and avoid them as much as you can, I'll try to get the others to get that too" The other two perceptive children nodded, before they all walked down the stairs together. Arthur made a beeline to the back door as fast as he could, his drawing book still in his hand.

Before he could reach up his small hand to open the door, a body got in his way. He squeaked in surprise, bringing his drawing book to his chest and looking up quickly. There, standing in his way, was a young woman. She had golden blonde locks, ocean blue eyes, and slightly sun-kissed skin. She was wearing three pearl necklaces around her neck, and had a dress shirt on, a rose on the left side. Her black skirt went down to her knees before stopping, and matched her black high heels.

She smiled at Arthur kindly with her rose red lips, kneeling down to Arthur's height and looking him up and down. "And who is this little fella?" She asked gently, her voice as soft as cotton.

Sally had walked over, tucking one of her black, curly locks behind her ear as she smiled with her usual sincerity. "That's Arthur, he's our newest child," She said,"Please excuse him, he can be a little shy at first"

The woman didn't say anything, but her eyes moved towards Arthur's book and asked,"Is that your drawing book?" Arthur slowly nodded, not sure what to say in a situation such as this.

The woman smiled again, before holding a manicured hand out and asking,"Is it okay if I look in it?" Arthur didn't usually let people see his drawings, but this woman's sweet voice seemed to pull him into a trance. He slowly relinquished the tight hold he had on the drawing book, holding it out for her. The woman's dainty fingers took it, as she flipped through the pictures.

"Wow!" She said kindly,"Your art is amazing, Arthur! Such a talented child!" Arthur couldn't help but blush at the praise, releasing a small giggle and smiling widely.

The woman turned to Sally, saying,"Oh, young woman, may we take Arthur out for a small outing, so we can get to know him better? Maybe buy him a little gift? He seems like such a nice child!" As she spoke, a man with messy brown hair, and his outfit as formal as the woman's. Arthur guessed that was her husband.

Sally didn't see anything wrong with it, the woman seemed kind enough, and they had already had all their papers in order when they got to the orphanage. "I think that would be wonderful, what do you think, Arthur?" She asked the little boy, whose green eyes quickly looked at her and nodded gently.

Once everything was in order, the couple led Arthur outside into London. Sally felt a strange, worried feeling grow in her chest as she watched them go, she wished she could go after them, but she was the only Matron, she had to stay. She exchanged a look with William, who seemed to feel the same as her.

Arthur began to feel a little paranoid as well. The loving aura he seemingly felt when they had first spoken to him was gone. The woman held his hand in a too tight grip, and they walked rather fast, almost too fast for Arthur's small legs. He released a slight whimper and tugged a bit, trying to get her let go. Why did their attitudes change so fast? He thought they were nice people...

Walking through London, the three finally came up to a toy store. Arthur wasn't much for toys, he'd prefer a stuffed animal or drawing stuff over trains and army men any day. "Ah!" The woman said in her kind voice, but Arthur didn't trust it anymore. "Here we are! Arthur, sweetheart, come and pick out a toy, okay?" She said kindly.

The woman pushed him towards the boy toys section, and he frowned slightly. Nothing here really interested him. But, he slowly walked in, seeing the woman and man had been intercepted by someone.

"Carol!" A redheaded woman had exclaimed,"I didn't know you had a son!" The blonde woman smiled back, and replied,"Oh, he's our adopted son, Annie, a _genius_ prodigy too!"

He was already regretting agreeing to go with them.

Arthur turned his head around, sending a glare at Carol. "I'm not your bloody son.." The five year old growled, before quickly walking around the aisle and finding the stuffed animals. He gasped excitedly, quickly finding one that caught his eye. It was a green bunny stuffie, it looked a lot like the one he would sometimes see in his dreams. He desperately wanted it. Reaching out his hand to grab it, he felt a sudden presence behind him, and his hand was roughly grasped again

"Now now!" Carol said in a firmer tone, her blue eyes filled with something Arthur didn't understand. "Little boys don't play with stuffed animals!"

Arthur felt fear fill his heart as he stared at her, before turning and reaching out with his other hand. "But it's pretty!" He argued. The man suddenly grabbed him by the back of his green jumper, yanking him back. "Stop that!" He growled,"Boys don't play with stuffed animals, it's girly! No son of mine is going to be a queer!"

Arthur didn't know what a queer was, but it didn't sound nice. "I'm not your son!" Arthur snapped back,"I would rather be an orphan for the rest of my life than be your son! You are meanie ugly jerks! You only want me because I am smart!"

A crowd had started to gather, wondering what was going on. Carol had started to look around awkwardly, realizing they were causing a scene. "Gerald-" Carol had whispered, trying to get her husband's attention. However, he was already to angry to go back. He swung Arthur around, lifting him up by the front of his jumper.

"You little bastard! You'll do as your told!" He yelled. Arthur frowned, feeling suddenly very rebellious, brought his little hands up and poked the man in the eyes. Gerald cried out in pain, letting go of Arthur, who crashed to the ground rather painfully.

Gerald's teary eyes turned to towards Arthur. Any composure he had left now gone. "You little brat!" He yelled. Arthur squeaked in fear, before he could try and run, Gerald was already up, and had raised a hand to hit the child. Arthur closed his eyes, waiting for the strike when he heard a crashing noise. Opening his eyes, he saw William and Scott standing there, William's brown hair disheveled and his eyes filled with rage. "Leave our brother alone!" Scott snapped.

Arthur sniffed in relief, before quickly getting up and running to William, wrapping his arms around the taller boy and burying his face in his older brother's chest. William's eyes narrowed as he stared at the brown haired man, and then at his blonde wife. The crowd whom had witnessed the event seemed to close in on them. The young couple seemed to realize what kind of situation they had put themselves in, as the blonde woman quickly grabbed her husband's hand and ran out of the toy shop, leaving their charge behind.

"Arthur, are you okay?" William asked to the young boy, who hadn't realized he had been holding his breath. As he released his breath loudly, he broke into tears, sobbing loudly and clutching to William's red jumper. He nodded, wanting William to know he was okay, but he still felt very upset about what had just happened.

The crowd had dispersed, except for a few people whom went to the front to report the couple. Scott watched the last few who were left before turning towards two of them. "Can we please take our baby brother home before we keep going?" He asked in an upset tone. Arthur let one eye peek out to see who they were talking to, and saw a middle aged couple. Oh, they probably took out Scott and William for a get-to-know walk.

"Of course, I wouldn't dare let those horrible people take the poor child back after what they did to him," The black, curly haired woman declared, sending a glare towards the door. It truly wasn't much, but it made Arthur feel a little relief, and that was enough.

William gave his brother a piggyback ride all the way back, and the walk was mostly dominated by silence. Arthur didn't mind it at all, it felt good, it felt safe, especially to be around the people who cared about him.

It seemed that the couple had notified Sally, as the second they walked in, he was scooped into her suffocating embrace. "Oh my goodness! Are you okay?!" She asked in terror.

"M'okay S'lly," Arthur managed to get out from his trapped position. He brought up his arms and wrapped them around her neck, taking in her warmth and feeling much better. "I'm so sorry Arthur," The matron whispered, rocking the shaking child back and forth. "I should have known.."

Arthur pulled his head from her shoulder and said,"But Ms. Sally, you couldn't have know, not even I know, and they say kids are the bestest judges of character!"

Sniffing slightly, Sally asked,"Oh? And who said that?"

"William"

"Oh really?"

Arthur nodded, and Sally giggled, glad the green eyed child was still his normal affectionate self despite what had happened. Later, Arthur learned that the day had gone better for some of the others. Much better. William told him that night that he and Scott.. Well..

They were getting adopted, by the couple he had seen earlier.

They were going to have a new home

They wouldn't be around as often..

"But we'll still see you at school!" William told the other children happily,"We promise!" Arthur nodded along with everyone else, but he still felt upset. He felt sad, and jealous. Why did William have to leave? Why was he taking Scott with him? The young child didn't understand.

Later Arthur was sitting on the back porch, his legs pulled up to his chest, his newly bought green bunny stuffy in his arms as he stared at the leprechauns trying to hide their gold. Usually, their always desperate attempts would leave the child giggling, but he couldn't find it in him.

"What's the matter?" a voice asked from behind him. Turning around, he saw Wendy there. Her usual blue nightgown on, her curly auburn hair in a bun, and giving the younger a worried look. Arthur frowned and put his legs down, swinging them and not saying anything for a moment.

When Wendy sat next to him, smoothing out her skirt gently, as he began with,"Why do William and Scott have to leave?"

"Arthur you know this already, because they're getting adopted, they have a family now," The nine-year old said,"They can have a real home"

Arthur's toes curled as he pulled his green rabbit hood over his head for comfort. "I know that.. But.. I wanna be adopted too.. But they got mad at me.. Why didn't they like me?" He asked sadly, leaning against his sister figure for comfort.

Wendy hugged the smaller child kindly and said,"They are just big jerks, Arty, they don't realize how awesome you are, and they wanted a certain child, they were looking for a child who had what they wanted, not you as a person"

"Oh..." He said awkwardly, before allowing her to sit with him for a little longer. He felt the bubble in his chest, and finally asked,"Wendy?"

"Hm?"

"Will we.. Every get adopted..?"

Wendy didn't speak again for a second, before saying,"Maybe, I can't say for sure, but I bet we will be. One day, someone will come here, they'll see us, and they'll say 'That's what I'm looking for' or 'They're going to be my daughter..'" Arthur looked up at her and saw the yearning desire in her eyes. Arthur looked down at her hands, and then up at Wendy again.

"You really think so?" He asked hopefully. Wendy smiled, and then said,"I know so Arthur"

She stayed out with him for a little while longer before walking back inside. Arthur waiting for a moment before he stood up, looking into the single star in the sky. It seemed to glow brightly in response. Arthur placed his hands together, feeling a magical warmth glow through them. Looking up at the sky, he opened his mouth, and began to speak.

"Star light, star bright, first star I see tonight. I wish I may, I wish I might, have the wish I wish tonight," He began, taking another breath before asking,"Please, Mr. Star, let us find our families, let everyone find a real home, a mommy, or a daddy"

The star seemed to twinkle at him, and Arthur smiled hopefully, before walking back inside. The mythical creatures watched him go, wondering if the small child had just felt all the strong magic he had pushed into his wish.

Even if he hadn't, they knew that the wish would come true. Anything was possible for the one who deserved to be loved.

– – – – –

Arthur's wish didn't come true right away

At least, not for him.

The next time couples came through, a Wildlife Biologist and his Marine Biologist wife came through, and instantly fell for Wendy. They adopted her very quickly afterwords.

John had a man who frequently visited, and took John to practice Rugby. Apparently, John wanted to be adopted by him.

Molly and Mary showed off their makeup skills to a woman whom owned a makeup line, and she was becoming a frequent visitor. Arthur hoped it ended well.

Arthur himself? He was having trouble coming out of his shell. After what happened the first time, he was too scared to try again. So, he kept to himself. Nobody seemed to be trying to sniff out the 'prodigy child' anymore, so nobody bothered Arthur.

Until, one day.

It started out simply for the now 6 year old. It was they day people could come through and look around. Arthur had picked up his bunny plushy, whom was named Mint, and his stuffed bear. He was sitting near the stairs, playing a game with the stuffies that only his little mind could understand, when they walked up to them.

This time, it wasn't a husband and a wife, but two women. One of them had shoulder length brown hair, with green eyes and freckles. She wore a simple red sweater with blue jeans. The taller girl next to her, strengthen, had pink hair that went to her back, brown eyes slightly obscured by a pair of glasses, and had on a Doctor Who dress. The pink haired girl knelt down next to him and asked,"Who are these little guys?" 

Arthur stared at her in surprise, wondering where this princess lady and her friend came from, and why they didn't think he was girly for playing with stuffies. Arthur pointed his little hand at stuffies. "Dats Mint, and the bear is Alfred," He explained shyly.

The other woman had sat down on his other side. "May we play?" They asked him. When Arthur continued to stare, the woman gasped and said,"Oh! Did we forget to introduce ourselves? I'm Karla, and pinky over there is Rose"

"You have pretty names," Arthur told them. He named one of the griffins outside Rose, because she would like to eat Sally's rosebushes, and Sally thought it was John messing with the plants when he kicked his rugby ball in there by accident.

Rose beamed proudly and said,"Why thank you sweetie, what's your name?" He gave her a small smile back before he whispered,"Arthur.."

The two played with him all day, even listening to his odd requests about what to say during the battle between Mint and Alfred, and put them on shelves for him for the dramatic scenes.

And then, they came back the next day!

And the day after that

 _And_ the day after _that!_

Then, Sally gave him enough encouragement, and he went on an outing with them. It was much different from his last one. Karla let him ride on her shoulders, they fed ducks, and then they sat at a shop and drank milkshakes.

While Arthur drank his, the women exchanged a look, before smiling at Arthur. "Hey, Arty, can we ask you something?" Karla questioned

Arthur nodded worriedly, wondering what they wanted. Rose gave him a smile again, before she began,"What if we told you.. That me and Karla are married?"

The young child tilted his head. "What?" He asked,"But you're both girls.. Is that okay?" The girls seemed slightly relieved, and Karla began to explain. "Well, Arthur, when two people really love each other, it doesn't really matter if you are a girl or a boy, as long as you love that person"

"Oh," Arthur whispered in awe. "So you both love each other?" Rose looked at Karla, before taking her hand and squeezing it. They shared a loving gaze before turning to look back at Arthur.

"Yes," Karla said,"We love each other very much. But, we would also like a family. Two girls can't really.. Erm.. Have a baby, so we decided to adopt"

"Arthur, we want to adopt you," Rose finished for Karla. Arthur nearly choked on his straw in surprise, before looking up at them hopefully. "R-really? You do?" He asked happily.

"Of course we do!" The ever feisty Karla said, and continued,"Why do you think we've bringing you out and talking with you, Arthur? You're what we're looking for, we want you to be our son"

Those words caused Arthur's little cup of joy to overflow, and he sniffed before beginning to cry happily. "I'd love to! I wanna be your son!" He declared, standing up and hugging Rose's waist tightly, while Karla hugged him from behind. Arthur felt so complete in that moment.

– – – – –

The adoption process took longer than usual, and Sally had hugged him tightly the day that Rose and Karla came to pick him up. She told him that she was so happy he was getting adopted, but she was going to miss him, and Arthur promised to visit.

"Ready to go, Arthur?" Karla asked, wanting to take their new son home as soon as possible. Arthur nodded and then turned to look at the last three people left at the orphanage. "Bye you guys!" He called,"I'll see you later!"

He had his suitcases, his green eyes lit up with excitement, as Rose held his hand. They were heading to the girl's truck, where they put Arthur inside his car seat, and then began to drive, as the rest of the children waved goodbye.

Arthur watched the streets go by and felt his heart beat faster, and grinned widely. He was adopted, and now he didn't only have one mum, but two! He felt so happy, he felt so complete! Nothing could compare to this feeling, this feeling of love.

Looking back up to the front seat, where his two mums sat smiling, he too stared at the road ahead of them, a brave and courageous feeling growing in his little chest. Whatever what down that road, whatever he came face to face with, he wouldn't be afraid.

Because he had love, and love is more powerful than anything

And that was just the truth

 _Somewhere deep insides the child's soul, a centuries old feeling of loneliness seemed to have finally been put to rest.._

– – – – – –

 _ **Oh my god I did not expect that to be as long as it was O-O**_

 _ **But I hope you guys enjoyed!**_

 _ **The next chapter will definitely be Arthur growing up (Teen years 0.0), and hopefully the chapter after that will be certain people figuring out about Arthur's**_

 _ **But you'll all just have to be patient won't you? ;P**_


	3. Looking Back at How Far You've Come

It took a little while for Arthur to adapt to being a part of Rose and Karla's family. The day he was adopted, they took him home, and he learned a lot about them. For one thing, they owned a small farm. They had sheep, chickens, pigs, two cows and calf, a rooster, horses, three goats, a barn, and a nice two-story house inside the fence area of their farm. The home and farm were surrounded by lush and beautiful forest that went on for miles, it was more than Arthur could have hoped for. After he saw his new home, he turned and hugged his mothers tightly, whispering 'thank you' over and over again.

They had introduced him to the animals the same day, and all the creatures loved him. Their many dogs, an Old English Sheepdog named Aggie, a large, but lovable Bull mastiff named Butch, their two Basset Hounds, Boomer and Dot, and a Bloodhound named Trusty, also grew very excited at meeting the new human. In fact, they followed Arthur around for the rest of the day.

He learned that his mothers met each other as children, and wrote comics together in college, which later would be published. They fell in love with each other even more because of their love for animals and nature. Then, after they got married, they saved up enough money to buy the land. Arthur relished in everything they told him.

The inside of the farmhouse was beautiful. The outside was beautiful red brick, it had a nice living room, a large fireplace, and many cute things that made it feel homey. There were several dog bowls, many comic related things, including a glass shelf filled with vintage stuff that he wasn't allowed to touch. Upstairs, there was his mothers' bedroom, and their office, and his bedroom.

Apparently, they truly did want to adopt him for a while, as his room was filled with stuff he loved. From many different language and history books, to sketchbooks, an easel and paint. He loved his new home, and his new family. He had everything he ever wanted in life, and he wouldn't give it up for anything in the world.

– – – – – –

"Whoa! Look at the pretty snow!"

7 year old Arthur, with his best friend Yachi, and Aggie were wandering through the forests around Arthur's home. Izaya had brought Yachi over on a playdate with his husband, Shizuo, and the parents decided to stay and talk together, allowing the children to wander as long as they promised not to wander too far and keep Aggie with them at all times.

In the year that had passed since Arthur was adopted, Yachi had gotten much better at English. At this point, you could barley hear her accent. She now enjoyed England much more since she could actually speak the vernacular.

It was Christmas break, so they were free to roam all over his moms' property, which included the forest. He instantly invited Yachi over to explore with him, which his mothers didn't mind since apparently her dad was a famous writer and manga artist.

Together, they walked through the woods. Yachi was wearing earmuffs with a pink band and brown, fuzzy bear pads. Around her neck was a pink scarf with a dog face on the end, same with her mittens. Her jacket was a brown cardigan, with pockets and a Y sewn on the left breast. Her pants were the same brown, and were stuffed into her fur filled pink boots.

Arthur was bundled up quite the same, earmuffs with a black band and dark green, fuzzy pads. He wore a scarf with the pattern of the English flag, and a green jacket, with black mittens on his his little hands. His pants were dark brown, and stuffed into his brown boots. He was carrying a bag to collect any cool stuff they found.

Together, they leapt over a creek. There was a thick blanket of snow covering everything, and it was still coming down as they wandered around. Arthur climbed over a log, reaching down and helping Yachi up. "Yeah, and Ponyo is a really awesome movie! Dad and Papa let me bring it over so I could show it to you once we have to go back inside! They said that maybe I can stay the night too!" She told him.

"That would be awesome! Then you could try Mum's cookies!" He told her. At first, he had been a little confused at what to call his two mothers. Karla told him to call her Mum, while Rose told him to call her Mama. It was not that much of a difference, but he gladly used it.

As he walked, he took some snow and started to form it in his hand. "I think our parents will let us stay up, and we can play games!" He said excitedly, and was about to continue when suddenly Aggie raised her hackles. In the distance, he saw something moving in the snow.

"Arthur! It's a fox!" Yachi exclaimed,"He looks like he's trying to dig at something!" The fox finally noticed them and turned to face them, his pink lips raising as he snarled. He was gazing straight at Aggie.

Arthur wasn't about to let Aggie be hurt. "Shoo! Get away!" He yelled, waving his hands and then running at the fox, Yachi right behind him. The fox got started by the bigger creatures, even if they were merely small children, and ran away.

Aggie ran after it for a moment, her fur raised bravely. When the sheepdog realized that the fox wasn't coming back, she huffed in satisfaction before trotting back to the children. "What do ya think it was wanting, Arty?" Yachi asked curiously, as Arthur knelt down to the hole on the side of the hill. The snow wasn't able to get down there, so it was very dark soil. However, there was still some white in the hole. It was eggs, ten of them to be exact.

"Eggs?" Arthur asked,"I think some animal left their eggs here!" Aggie released a sad while, sitting down in the snow.

Yachi gasped and then knelt down too. "Where's the mama?" She asked,"Why isn't it with the eggs?"

Arthur's mind quickly remembered that the fox's lips were pink. "Do you think.. Maybe the fox got the mama?" He questioned.

The Japanese girl looked sad at his guess, but it was the most likely answer. "Oh no! W-what do we do?" She asked. Arthur rubbed his chin with his mittens in thought, before clapping his hands together.

"Mama told me that if you find eggs or baby animals, then you are supposed to wait a while to see if their parents do come back, and if they don't then they might be all alone.." He said,"That's what we should do"

So Arthur took his scarf off, wrapping it around the eggs, and they made themselves comfortable at the base of the tree. They waited there for at least an hour, but no animal came back to retrieve the eggs.

"We should take them back home!" Arthur declared,"If the mummy isn't here to sit on them, then they're gonna be cold. Mum and Mama know how to help them, I don't want them to die.."

Yachi agreed instantly, and they worked together. Yachi placed her scarf at the bottom of the bag, and they gently placed the eggs inside, before covering them with Arthur's scarf. Then, the British boy carried the bag back carefully, glad his mothers taught him about this stuff already.

When they got home, they were instantly pounced on by their worried parents. "Where have you two been?! We told you to be back in time for dinner!" Izaya scolded worriedly, while feeding Yachi's younger brother Yukine. "You scared us," Shizuo, Izaya's husband continued on.

"But Dad," Yachi said quickly said,"Arthur and I rescued eggs from a fox! We waited for the mum to come back but she never did, and we didn't want them to die so we brought them with us! We're sorry! We just wanted them to live!"

"I'm sorry Mama, Mum.." Arthur said, still hugging the bag with tears running down his red cheeks. Not one to stay mad for long, Rose knelt down and ruffled the child's hair fondly. "It's alright Arthur, but next time you do something like that, please have one of you come back and tell us what is going on. I was just about to grab Butch and Trusty for a manhunt!" She told him.

Karla took the eggs from him, while Rose grabbed the incubator they had. Karla then took one of the eggs and examined it. "Hmm.. I believe they're duck eggs.. I'll have to look through my book.." She said, then looked at the kids.

"All the babies are still alive, you guys did a very good job making sure they were safe," She complimented,"I'm very proud of you!" Both the kids giggled happily, feeling quite pleased with themselves.

Arthur stared at the ten eggs curiously before looking up at Rose, whom had brought out a book of eggs. "The duck eggs will take about a month, maybe less considering we don't know how far along they are, though it's kind of strange that a duck would lay eggs near winter.. But I know that some ducks can lay eggs all year round.." She said. Arthur felt a little upset that they would be taking so long, but didn't mind, sooner than later he would get to see them hatch!

The rest of the night spanned between the children watching Studio Ghibli movies, and checking on the eggs, while the adults all watched with a fondness in their hearts.

– – – – –

It was about ten days later that the birds hatched. Surprisingly, right at the beginning of Christmas day.

Arthur had woken up early, finding himself with a basset hound on either side of him. He yawned and sat up, stretching his arms behind his head. He smiled and squirmed a bit, managing to get out from around the dogs, whom grumbled a bit before laying back down. That's when Arthur heard it.. Little noises from downstairs. The child gasped, before turning and running into his mothers' bedroom. "Mama! Mummy! Wake up!" He yelled, jumping on top of the bed excitedly. "The eggs! They're hatching!"

Without waiting to see if they would follow, Arthur slid down the stairs as fast as he could, and watched the incubator with amazement. Rose and Karla quickly took the eggs out to make sure they hatched correctly, and Arthur could only watch in amazement as the wet, yellow birds cracked their way out of the eggs. The blonde boy followed in his mother's footsteps and cleaned off a few ducks. Their feathers began to fluff up as they moved their little heads around, peeping with curiosity.

"They're so.. Pretty.." Arthur whispered excitedly. Rose smiled down at her son and picked one of the ducklings up, holding it out to the little boy. "Would you like to hold one, honey?" She asked. Arthur's green eyes filled with excitement, and a little fear, before he nodded and held out his hands.

Rose gently placed the duckling in Arthur's waiting hands, and the boy gasped at the small weight in his arms. Then, he pulled the little duck closer to his chest and stared at it with his big green eyes. The duckling peeped curiously at him, tilting it's head, then it buried itself against the boy's green plaid pajamas. Arthur gasped excitedly, before looking up to smile at his mothers with happiness.

"He likes me!" The child exclaimed happily. Rose and Karla smiled at their some, before reaching down and ruffling his hair lovingly. "Of course he does, Arthur, you're an amazing child, that's why!" Rose told him, watching the child's face light up much like the Christmas lights on their tree.

Arthur would get many presents that day, but none would compare to the new creatures that had arrived on their farm that day, and the new life they brought with them.

– – – – – –

Three Years Later

– – – – – –

"So the answer is what?" Arthur asked his friend, Rupert, who scratched his red hair in thought. Today, in their Year 5 class, they were learning multiplication and division, and lots of students were having trouble with it. So, they all gathered near the front of the school during lunch to tutor each other. The people still sitting on a table in front of the school at the moment were Arthur, Yachi, and their friends, Rupert, Emma, and Daniel. However, Yachi had forgotten her book bag at her last class, and was heading back to get it.

Rupert scratched his head in thought, before he guessed,"Um.. Twelve?" Arthur grinned and nodded, making the redhead smile and write it in as fast as he possibly could.

"See? It gets easier as you keep going," Arthur told him, Emma nodding in agreement. Suddenly, there was the clanging of the bell, it was time to go back to class. _But, where is Yachi? Shouldn't she have been back by now?_ He thought worriedly, before standing up.

He quickly said,"I'm gonna go find Yachi, meet you guys in class, alright?" They smiled at him before taking off to get to the class, while Arthur walked down the hallway, trying to find his best friend. It was after the first bell rang that he finally found her. But.. It wasn't good.

Turning the corner, he saw Yachi cornered by some of the bigger kids from their class. She had blood running from her nose, and was leaning against the wall, shaking like a leaf. "Aww! Are you gonna cry, you baby?" One fat one snarled, yanking Yachi forward by her tie, Yachi was now clutching at her wrist with her other hand.

"You're a freak! You have two dads, and you came here out of all places!" He snarled, while Yachi tried to get her tie out of his grip. "L-let go!" She begged desperately.

One of the bigger kids, who had an ugly snaggle tooth and dirty brown hair decided to say,"My dad says that all people like you should have never been born! Even your real parents didn't want you!"

Yachi whimpered sadly, tears beginning to fill the corners of her eyes. Arthur couldn't watch anymore. He grabbed his hardcover math book, and then ran out from behind the corner, throwing it as hard as he could. It smacked the older boy right in the head, who yelled in pain and turned angrily to see who it was.

There stood Arthur, his fists clenched and eyes narrowed angrily "Hey look!" Snaggl etooth said again,"It's the boy with two moms! Of course they would be friends!" _What are these kid's problems?!_ He had to wonder. _What's wrong with having two moms or two dads?_

"Leave my friend alone!" Arthur yelled,"Or I'll beat you to a bloody pulp!" For a second the three bullies didn't say anything, before laughing at him. Arthur felt his temper boil up, but he still didn't move.

The tallest bully walked up to Arthur, standing almost 6 inches above him. It frustrated the 10 year old a little, since he still hadn't hit his growth spurt. "And how are you going to do that, eyebrows?" He questioned, quickly grabbing Arthur by his blazer and lifting him up.

Losing his temper, Arthur jerked his head to the side and sunk his teeth into the taller boy's arms. The boy screeched, letting go of Arthur's blazer and dropping the boy hard. Then, the blonde got up and pushed the bully very hard. "Leave my friend alone!" He threatened.

Snaggle tooth grabbed the smaller boy by the end of his blazer, before punching Arthur in his face. The blonde felt his nose snap. Arthur cried out in surprise, falling to the tiled ground again. His temper was still raging, he tried to get up, but now they were holding him down. Before anything else could happen, a teacher ran over quickly.

"Michael!" He snapped,"Put that boy down this instant!" Michael, or Snaggle tooth, quickly let go of the ten year old, who scrambled backward, bringing a hand to his bloody nose. Yachi was still leaning against the wall, tears running down her cheeks. She seemed terrified of what had happened.

The teacher, Mr. Augustus if Arthur remembered, quickly helped Arthur up, pulling out a green handkerchief from his pocket, and handing it to the blonde. Arthur looked at it for a second, before handing it to Yachi instead.

Quickly, the bullies, tried to save themselves. "M-Mr. Augustus! That little brat started it all! I swear!" The fat one lied,"They've been trying to attack us all year!"

Mr. Augustus didn't look amused, as he said,"Not from what I saw. I also have had many students come up to me with complaints about your little gang, you three are going to the office with me" They looked devastated and angry, but didn't try to speak, seeming to understand their fate.

Then, the man turned around and asked,"Arthur, Yachi, I'll call your parents. Can you please go to the nurse's office? I will be there after I have delivered these ruffians to the headmaster"

Arthur nodded at Mr. Augustus, before looking at the bullies and glaring at them. Letting his mind do the mental switch over to Japanese, he then yelled," _Jerks!_ " The bullies seemed to realize they were insulted, but could do nothing as they were walked to the Headmaster's office.

Taking Yachi's arm as gently as he could, and walked her to the nurse's office. The nurse fussed over them, binding Yachi's broken wrist and making them both cover their bloody noses with a tissue. Arthur's nose was swelled slightly, the nurse believed Michael broke the boy's nose.

During a moment when they were alone, Yachi turned to Arthur and said," _I can't believe you bit him_ " Arthur smirked at her, feeling slightly embarrassed but proud at the same time.

" _Hey, all is fair in love and war_ ," He said simply, making the girl giggle.

After Mr. Augustus got their sides of the story, he commended Arthur on his bravery. "But next time, please go get a teacher," He told the boy firmly,"If I hadn't been there, they might have hurt you two more.."

Arthur felt his face burn with shame and looked down quickly, while whispering an apology. "You are going to be let off with a warning, since it was defense, and you didn't start the fight, technically. But, do it again and there will be definite consequences," He threatened, causing the two children to nod reverently.

Their parents came to pick them up, as Yachi and Arthur both had something broken. Izaya had gone into mother-bear mode almost instantly, scooping Yachi up and fussing over her like the worried-sick father he was. Meanwhile, his husband held Yachi's three year old brother, whom stared at his sister worriedly.

Rose worriedly hugged Arthur and pushed his hair out of his face, asking,"Are you okay? Mr. Augutus told us what happened, don't ever do that again! You have no idea how worried we were!" Karla quickly pulled her wife away, as her panicked interrogations were scaring Arthur.

"I'm fine Mama.." Arthur told her,"Don't worry! They didn't scare me!" Yachi giggled and then said,"Arthur protected me, we were fine!"

Izaya held her closer, saying,"But you could have gotten hurt worse!" Shizuo now had to free Yachi from her father's worried embrace.

Their parents were worried, but thankful that nothing else had happened. Michael, the fat one, and Archie were kicked from the school, as Arthur's bravery made several other children come out with the truth about the three bullies.

– – – – – –

"Mum, where are we going?"

Arthur stared out the window curiously, looking at the scenery of London passing by. "Are we going to that fancy restaurant again? Or the farmer's market?" He questioned, patting Boomer's head as the Basset Hound tried to stare out the window to see what his young owner was looking at.

"No, we're heading to a new place, actually it's where me and Rose met as kids," Karla said proudly, her gentle green eyes staying aimed on the road ahead,"I think we were about your age when we started going here, I think you'll love it, Yachi will be coming too"

Arthur tilted his head at the ambiguous answer he got, before sitting down correctly again. It took a little while, but they finally arrived. He hopped out of the car, carrying Boomer against his chest. The building in front of them looked like it was about three stories, and was designed more similarly to a dojo than the usual London buildings.

"Martial's Arts?" He read curiously,"Mummy, Mama, you know martial arts?" Rose smiled and made a happy noise, pushing up her glasses.

"Why yes we did! A little rusty now, but we thought it would be a wonderful thing to learn," The artificial pinkette said happily.

Next to them suddenly, was Yachi and her family. "It is!" Izaya said proudly,"It's a wonderful way to keep you kids occupied, a good way to let out steam. And it's also not a bad idea to learn self defense"

Looking at his blonde husband, Izaya leaned against him and said,"Though I would prefer is Shizu-chan came to yoga with me to keep his temper down more often~"

"You are literally one of the only guys in that class, Izaya," Shizuo replied simply, to which Izaya hit him with his hip and snapped,"That's because I'm the teacher!"

Karla clapped her hands together before the couple could start bickering again. "Alright, let's go inside!" She said, taking Arthur inside.

Sitting down near the front was an older man, he was wearing a black martial arts uniform with a name tag, whom turned around, and his dark eyes instantly filled with a grandfatherly warmth. "Ah! Rose and Karla! It's been a long time!" He said proudly,"How have you been doing?"

Rose giggled happily and said,"Wonderful Yamato! Our comics are selling very well, and we got married!" She held out her hand to show the beautiful ring. He leaned forwards and looked at the ring, making a proud noise. "That's wonderful, Rose!" He said proudly.

That's when he noticed Arthur, whom had been hiding behind his mothers fearfully. "And who is this?" He asked curiously. Arthur's eyes widened slightly and he shyly waved.

Karla moved and pushed Arthur forward gently, saying,"This is our son, Arthur" Yamato smiled and then knelt to Arthur's height, and said,"Hello Arthur, it's a pleasure to meet you, and see you at my school" Arthur blushed and nodded.

"P-pleased to meet you, sir," The 10 year old said kindly.

"And this young lady?" Yamato asked curiously, as Yachi smiled, introducing herself,"I'm Orihara Yachi, sir"

Yamato smiled again, before spreading out his hands and saying,"Welcome to my school, I am pleased to have you both here. I bet both of you will be very good students, and work very hard!"

Arthur and Yachi both grew very excited, as they yelled,"Yeah!" The parents chuckled, and followed the children inside.

Arthur and Yachi would fall asleep that night thoroughly tuckered out, but excited for the next day, when they could go back and learn more.

– – – – – –

Four Years Later

– – – – – –

The sun was, for once, shining bright and beating down hard in rural London. Arthur, now 14 years old, was helping his mothers clean out an old shed on their property. He had started to grow taller, hitting his growth spurt, now around 163 centimeters, and still growing. He had gone through puberty, and, though his accent was still thick, his voice was deeper, smooth, and gentle. For some reason, to his slight shame, he still didn't have a hint of any body hair, but it didn't really bother him that much as he continued growing. _At least I don't look like a scrawny little_ _wanker_ _anymore_ He would tell himself proudly, looking at his slim and defined body. Yes, he had abs, but it mainly came from his training and work on his parent's farm.

Years of helping out his mothers had helped him grow a pretty good body. Yes, he was still lean, but he had strong arms, and a nice body, and abs. It had gotten him fawned over very much by many girls at his school, but he ignored it, he wasn't looking for that right now, he was still young.

Shaking himself from his thoughts, he coughed lightly from the dust floating in the air. The shed was packed, Arthur was shocked at how much stuff his parents had stuffed in here, yet they were probably the most anal people he knew when it came to cleaning. He pulled out an old chair, bringing it out with all the other stuff, before going back in.

"Don't worry Arthur, we're almost done!" Rose told him happily, her hair now a dark purple color, which suited her well.

Arthur turned and smiled at her. "Don't worry, Mama, it's no trouble at all, after all I don't have any plans today!" He looked up, noticing something on one of the higher shelves. Arthur used the dresser in the shed to hoist himself up, grabbing it by it's slim middle. Hopping down, he examined it with his fingers _. A guitar?_ He thought curiously.

It was no simple guitar either, it was a bass guitar. One that was very dusty, but didn't look that worse for wear. Turning it curiously in his hands, he walked out and asked,"Um.. Mum? Whose guitar is this?"

Rose, whom had previously been feeding the dogs, gasped and ran over. "My guitar!" She exclaimed happily, grabbing it from Arthur quickly. "Oh I forgot all about this!"

Arthur raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You used to play the electric guitar, Mama?" He asked. Rose was not the person he expected to be able to play an electric guitar.

For a few moments, his excited mother didn't reply, too busy tuning the guitar, before she finally said,"I used to be in a band in college! We were very popular, even did a few gigs! It was bloody amazing!" She got the guitar in tune, and then began to strum it with skilled fingers, quickly spiraling into an extremely fast tune, and awing Arthur with her skill.

"Mama, that's amazing!" Arthur said happily, jumping up and down like an excited girl. He couldn't help it, he felt like his mother might as well be a part of the Rolling Stones with how amazing her skills were. "You're still so good at it! It's so cool!"

Rose blushed and giggled, smiling down at the guitar and saying,"Well, of course, music runs in my family. Everyone in my family has played an instrument. My mum played the Violin, my papa played the piano, your Uncle Reamus played the Drums!" Arthur was amazed, it was awesome that his family had such a history of music.. And suddenly.. He found himself wanting to be a part of that.

"Could you.. Could you teach me?" He asked hopefully, green eyes filled with excitement. Rose looked up quickly and grew excited as well, brown eyes bright. "Really, Arthur?" She questioned lovingly,"Do you even have to ask? I would love to teach you!"

Arthur smiled widely and then said,"Awesome!" Karla suddenly jumped up, her shoulder length hair swinging with her fast movements.

"Now wait a minute, young man! You still need to help us clean out the shed! You're not done yet!" She declared,"How else are we gonna have room for the new animals!"

Arthur pouted, before grumbling and climbing back into the shed. "Aww..C'mon mummy.." He said,"I've been helping all afternoon.."

"And you know what I've been doing?!" Karla exclaimed,"I've been taking care of the five puppies _you_ brought home! They're crazy!"

"Mum! They were in a bag by the river! I couldn't just leave them there! You let Mama bring that goat back from the school fair!" Arthur pointed out, making Rose gasp at her son's betrayal.

Karla sighed and released a smile. "I know.. I know.. This is what I get for marrying an animal lover, and being one myself. Should have known you'd turn out like us!" She teased, ruffling his hair. Arthur grumbled sheepishly, trying to fix his blonde mess of hair, large eyebrows knitting together in concentration.

In the end, Arthur finished cleaning out the shed, Karla freaked out over a rather big spider in the corner, and Rose put all the new supplies in the shed after Arthur safely returned the spider to the forest. Then, Rose began to teach Arthur the basics of electric guitar. It was an amazing feeling, and he learned quickly. But for some reason.. Arthur couldn't help but feel like he'd played it before..

– – – – – –

One Year Later

January 4th

– – – – – –

"Have a good time!"

Arthur waved goodbye as his parents drove away. He was wearing his favorite outfit today, his black leather jacket, with his black pants, red shoes, red checkered bandana, green undershirt, and headphones around his neck. His parents, though, were even more dressed up. Today was their anniversary, and they were going out to have some fun, leaving Arthur alone to take care of things. Not that the teenager minded, it was their special day after all.

Plus, he had a plan.

Standing on the porch, he waited until the car was out of sight, before leaping down the stairs and grabbing his bike. He lifted it up, making sure everything was in order before swinging his leg over it. Then, he tugged the metal basket on the front a little to make sure it was secure. That's when he heard a whimper. Looking over, he saw his new puppy, a Scottish Terrier, whining and looking up at him with the biggest puppy dog eyes he's ever seen. Obviously, he wanted to go with Arthur.

Sighing slightly, Arthur hopped off his bike, scooping up the puppy and saying,"Alright.. You can come with me, Jock" The blonde placed the puppy in the front basket, before climbing on again. Jock yapped in excitement and twirled around a few times before sitting proudly, as Arthur began to ride down the street.

Eventually, he got into London, and stopped in front of Tescos. Though it was often crowded, he still loved going to it, especially since William and Scott, his old brother figures from the orphanage, now had part-time jobs there while they were finishing up college.

"Hey Arty!" William said happily as he saw him, ruffling his hair. "You're getting bigger every time I see you!" He teased. Arthur chuckled, fixing his hair, before he replied,"You saw me last week, Will!"

William chuckled a bit, rolling his eyes at his sassy younger brother. "Whatevs, what do you need today?" He asked.

Arthur hummed and showed him the list he had, making William's eyes widen. "Arty.. Are you gonna try and cook again?" He asked in fear,"Don't you remember what happened when you tried cooking at the orphanage? The smoke alarm went off!"

"Hey!" Arthur snapped,"I was six! What did you expect?! I am gonna get it right this time, I have to! It's for their anniversary!"

William chuckled and said,"Alright, alright, I get it. I believe in you! You can do anything you put your mind to, Arty!"

Arthur nodded firmly, and went into the aisles, grabbing all the supplies for what he was making. He knew he was bad at cooking, but he was going to get it right this time, no matter how long it took. He wanted to make something special for them, they deserved it.

After getting everything, Scott checked him out. "Did you hear, Arthur? John made it on the national rugby league team!" He said happily.

Arthur smiled, and replied,"I know! I saw the match last night, I knew he would be something great one day!"

"So will you, Arty, I saw your performance in your school's play, and with your singing voice, electric guitar, you're gonna get somewhere some day!" He said, making Arthur blush.

The 15 year old shook his head and said,"Nah, I'm just a normal kid.." Scott scoffed and then said,"Shut up, Arty! I bet you're gonna be an actor or something one day! You just keep working hard and you'll get there one day, I promise, little bro!"

Arthur felt more encouraged by Scott, and nodded excitedly. He said goodbye to his older brother, before getting on his bike, his groceries in the back basket, which was bigger. Jock continued to sit in the front proudly.

Looking up at the sky, he saw the overcast clouds were growing darker. "Uh oh.." He muttered,"It's gonna rain" Being a British male, he always knew when it was going to rain, mainly because it nearly happened every day. He sped up his bike, as it was easier to ride as everyone moved out of the streets in case it rained.

Everything was going smoothly, as he turned and rode down the straight sidewalk by a beautiful park. Jock whined slightly as they rode past it, and Arthur chuckled, saying,"Don't worry, Jock, I'll take you there some day, maybe this weekend"

As he looked up again, there was suddenly someone in front of his speedy bike. He ran into the sidewalk without saying anything at all! "Watch out!" Arthur yelled, trying to turn onto the grass to dodge the man. However, the man panicked as well, running into the grass as well. They collided painfully, and Arthur was flung off his bike and straight into the mud with a crash, the man falling with him.

Arthur yanked his head from the mud with a groan, feeling his entire face caked with it. His angered puppy was barking loudly at the man who ran in front of them, whom had managed to get out from his position under Arthur's bike, the wheels still spinning, and his groceries all over the grass. Though, nothing had been broken.

"Mamma Mia!" The man yelled in a weird accent. He sounded Italian. The man quickly stood up, grabbing Arthur's arm and helping him out of the mud. "I-a didn't mean it! I'm-a sorry!" He exclaimed, however he shrieked and dropped Arthur back into the mud when Jock ran forward and barked.

"Agh! Bloody hell!" Arthur yelled, pulling himself from the mud again. There were two other people running over as well. One was blonde, slicked back hair was larger, while the smaller one had black hair and dark, calm eyes, he looked Japanese.

"I told you to watch where you were going!" The blonde man yelled in a german accent,"And then you drop the poor kid!" He picked up the little man with ease and placed him down by Arthur's bike. "Pick up the groceries!"

The German quickly helped Arthur up, the boy stumbling a little bit. His eye felt swollen, and he bet that he had some scrapes underneath all the mud. "You okay kid?" He asked. Arthur groaned and placed a muddy hand against his dirty hair. "Bloody hell.." He groaned again, and said,"I think so"

Arthur turned and picked up Jock, asking,"You okay buddy? Sorry, I bet that wasn't what you were expecting to happen on your first bike ride, huh?" The dog merely whimpered, covered in mud as well, and licked Arthur's cheek.

"I am terribly sorry," The Japanese man said,"Our friend here doesn't think before he acts" He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket, handing it to Arthur.

Arthur sighed in relief and said,"Thank you" He began to wipe off his face, though he found the first coat had already dried, and there were chunks of his hair being held together because of it as well. He wiped it off the best he could, but found it nearly impossible with his bruised eye and scrapes. Feeling his temper growing, he turned and pointed to the Italian man. "Watch where you are going!" He yelled angrily,"You're lucky you just crashed into me and not a bloody car!"

"Aaaaiee!" The Italian man yelped,"I'm-a sorry! I-a didn't mean to hit you, scary British teenager!"

Arthur pointed at him and snapped,"The name is Arthur, and just be more careful!" Jock barked angrily as well, still frustrated by being flung from the basket.

"Oh~ Arthur?" The man said, suddenly seeming sad, before perking up again. "My name is-a It- I mean Feliciano! This is my-a friends Ludwig and-a Kiku!"

Both men nodded in conformation, before Arthur awkwardly said,"Um.. Pleasure to meet you" He walked over to his bike, pulling it up and saying,"I would love to stay and chat, but I have to get home, I'm truly sorry!"

"It is no problem, Arthur-kun, we should be apologizing, for hitting you in the first place," Kiku then bowed. Arthur awkwardly nodded and said,"Um.. It's no problem, I promise. Goodbye" Then, with his dog and groceries in check, he rode off.

The three nations watched the teenager ride off quietly, until Italy awkwardly said,"Hey Germany?" The man in question turned to look at his friend, hearing the shaky tone his voice had taken.

"Didn't that kid kinda remind you of England?" Italy shakily whispered, hugging himself. "H-he kinda had the same temper... A-and his name was Arthur.." There were tears running down his face now.

Kiku watched the display sadly, and then looked down at the grass. It had been ten years since England disappeared, and it still hurt everybody hard. About 4 years after England vanished, they had found a journal that entailed just what England thought of them. He thought they all hated him. But.. That wasn't really true, they hated the old England, but he had become much nicer as the world kept growing. Too bad they never told him that..

They had said so many mean and spiteful things to him, though. So, Japan could understand why he thought that. But the fact he thought so little of himself, to the point he just.. Disappeared to Kami knows where, scared Japan.

"I wish.." Japan whispered softly,"I wished I could have seen him one last time.. To apologize" Italy sniffed and nodded, while Germany merely nodded as well, not wanting to say anything. They merely stared up at the clouds for several sad moments, before walking away with dark thoughts in their head.

If only they knew whom they had just run into..

– – – – – –

Arthur skidded to a stop in front of his home, grabbing the groceries and his dog, while his bike fell in the grass forgotten. He ran into the house, the four other dogs following after him. They now owned a Corgi, a Shetland Sheepdog, a Beagle, a Cocker Spaniel, and Jock. Arthur had grown very depressed as the other dogs began to die of old age, and though he would never forget them, having more dogs lessened the sadness.

He washed himself off, and changed into a simple red long sleeved shirt with black pants, then brought all his ingredients out and brought the cookbook with him. He then pulled his sleeves up, his face tight with determination. "Alright.. I can do this!" He told himself.

Maybe he couldn't..

After several failed attempts, Arthur found himself losing hope. He kept screwing up the simplest steps, like mixing up salt or sugar. The batter continued to taste like fish oil instead of chocolate cake. Every time he tried to start cooking, he could hear voices laughing at him, telling him that he would never learn to cook good, and that he should just give up.

His hands clenched the book tightly, before he threw it and yelled,"This is fucking hopeless!"

The book slammed against the hardwood, bouncing as the puppies ran to avoid it with shocked yaps. Arthur then slid against the counter, bringing his legs to his chest and sighing sadly. The voices, they sounded eerily familiar, yet he couldn't place it. But they always laughed at him, and he sometimes heard them in his nightmares as well. Maybe he should just listen to them..

But as his dogs gathered around him, their eyes filled with worry, and he smiled a bit. Then, he remembered William and Scott's words.

" _I believe in you! You can do anything you put your mind to, Arty!"_

" _You just keep working hard and you'll get there one day, I promise, little bro!"_

Yes, he could do it.

All he had to do was put his mind to it, and he could get it done. All he had to do was not be afraid of the voices. They would never try his food, they had no right to say what it would taste like. He just couldn't let himself get scared. It wasn't like Gordon Ramsey was going to appear on his front door. His brothers believed in him, and he would get it right, eventually!

Standing up and taking the book in his hand, Arthur took a deep breath, calming his nerves, and bravely declared,"I will get this right! I don't care how long it takes!"

– – – – –

Karla proudly led her wife from the car, whom was a little woozy from the day out. But they had a wonderful night out, and were happy to be home. Hand in hand, they walked up the porch.

"I hope Arthur was okay while we were gone," Rose told her worriedly,"I can't help but feel a little worried about him, he used to hate it when we left him alone for too long when he was younger, even if it was just to go feed the chickens"

Karla noticed how haphazardly his bike was on the ground, covered in mud. She wondered what he had been up to. There were a few times where Arthur had tried to be rebellious, but he didn't get very far, as mother's were scary when they were angry, especially if you had two of them.

"I'm sure he was fine, Rosie," Karla said lovingly,"He knows how to care for himself, remember? We made sure he knew what to do in emergencies"

Rose blushed and muttered,"I know.. But.." Karla kissed her cheek, before saying,"Well, we'll just have to see when we go inside, won't we?"

They nodded together, and walked inside the house. Surprisingly, they weren't even greeted by Arthur or the excited puppies. It was a little worrying, as they quickly walked farther inside.

Turning the corner into the dining room, they stopped at the scene in front of them. Arthur was asleep on the table, hunched over with his face against the mahogany table, eyes closed, and arms dangling off the table. The puppies all snoring peacefully underneath him. On the table was a large, circular container, the one they used to hold the cakes Karla liked making. But why was it on the table.

Pulling the cover off, the two mothers found a nice, large circular cake with blue frosting, and the words _'Happy Anniversary to the best Mums in the world!'_ On both sides of the cake were small drawings of them, in Arthur's art style.

Karla ran a finger against the frosting, sticking it into her mouth as Rose asked,"Did Arthur make this? I thought he said he couldn't cook.."

"It's.." Karla began,"It's delicious!" She wasn't lying, the cake was perfect, one to rival Karla's own. Why hadn't Arthur ever made this for them before?

As if hearing the question, Arthur made a noise and stirred. Both women froze with their frosting covered fingers in the air, feeling like Arthur did as a child when they caught him trying to get more scones at night.

"Mum.. Mama..?" Arthur asked drowsily, his green eyes opening slightly,"Are y' home?" Rose chuckled slightly, realizing Arthur definitely wasn't fully awake.

Rose ran a hand through his blonde hair, saying,"Yes, sweetie, we're back" She looked over at the cake again and asked,"Did you make that cake for us?"

"Cake..?" Arthur asked sleepily, before nodding. "Uh-huh.. Took me lots'a tries.. Wanted to get it perfect for you.. Did it taste good?"

Karla hugged the 15 year old and said,"Yes Arthur, it was delicious! The most perfect cake I've ever tasted!"

Arthur looked like he could cry, as he whispered,"See! I knew I could do it.. If I just kept trying.."

It was very obvious Arthur was too tired to really comprehend anything else, as Karla helped him up. "Come on son, time to go to sleep, you did a great job," She told him. Arthur nodded drowsily and allowed himself to be led up to his bedroom, where he fell asleep almost instantly. Rose and Karla hugged each other, while staring happily at him.

"He's such a good kid.. Doing this for us," Rose said happily,"I love him so much" Karla smiled proudly as well, before whispering,"Yeah.."

Then, she leaned forward and whispered,"He gets that from me" Before giggling like a child and taking off, leaving her wife to chase after her after gawking for a second.

The next morning, Arthur would eat a slice of his cake with his parents, a wide smile on his face, as he whispered,"I did it"

He never was afraid to try cooking again after that.

– – – – – –

Three Years Later

– – – – – –

"Alright kids, rehearsal is over!"

The children all quickly yanked off their costumes and clothing before running to the back to start cleaning, while 18 year old Arthur laughed in amusement. They were always so excited when getting ready for plays, but so eager to leave once they finished.

Arthur currently was working as a director for the children theater, where the kids could come and audition for plays. Well.. Audition was a relative term for.. Every kid got a part no matter what. The fact was, Arthur loved kids, he even still visited the Kirkland Orphanage from time to time. So, when he got the job he was very excited. Of course, he shared this job with someone else.

They had met at the beginning of Secondary School, and from the beginning they were rivals. Her name was Lisa, a girl from America whom, as they both discovered while reading a history book, bore a striking resemblance to Joan of Arc.

Though they became friends, they were always competing still. Whether it be in school, work, just walking down the street, their instruments, or their singing and acting in drama. It even got to the point where both of them learned to play each others' instruments to see who was better at it. Now Arthur knew how to play the violin. They became friends in their second year of secondary school, after they applied for the same job and realized they had a lot more in common than just the desire to compete.

Still, they were always prepared to compete, but also not afraid to take care of each other. Arthur even spent a few nights at her home when she was sick with the flu and took care of her. She returned the favor after Arthur broke his leg in an accident, carrying his books for him and even being late to classes just to make sure they got there. All in all, they were best friends, especially since Yachi and her family recently moved back to Japan.

"Ah, those kids are so full of energy," Lisa said in amusement,"I wonder where they get it from" Arthur rolled his eyes as he went to sweep up some stray pieces of paper from the ground. Today had mainly been making backgrounds for the play, keeping rehearsals to a minimum.

"Don't act like you don't have energy either, Li," He said,"We've just both been tired from sending in university applications"

Lisa nodded in agreement. "True, but at least those are finished now.." She said proudly,"I bet I'm going to get into a better uni than you"

"In your dreams, princess!" Arthur snapped, while she childishly stuck her tongue out at him, and he did the same back. Yes, what very mature teens they were.

After a few hours, they were free to go. It started raining as soon as they got outside, and both of them pulled out their umbrellas. "Weather never changes," Arthur said, amused.

"Alright, well, I'll see you at school tomorrow, Arty!" Lisa called, waving goodbye. "Last day!" Arthur called back.

He walked home calmly, pulling up his white checkered scarf over his face and tugging his blue jacket tighter around him. His white earmuffs being pushed against his eat by the black glove that wasn't holding his umbrella.

As he got home, he noticed the mailbox's flag was raised, and walked over to it. He opened the mailbox, finding a letter from one of the colleges he applied to. Not able to be patient, he opened it and read it over. The longer he read it, the more his eyes widened. Suddenly, he dropped his umbrella ran inside.

Him slamming the door open caused his mothers to jump from where they were drawing their comics on their laptops. They turned to stare at Arthur in confusion. "What is it honey?" Rose asked softly.

A smile grew on Arthur's face, before he held out the slightly wet paper, eyes filled with glee. "I got a full scholarship to Oxford!" He exclaimed happily.

After a second of shocked silence, Rose squealed loudly and threw herself at the now taller England, Karla soon following after her and hugging him tightly. "Arthur that's amazing!" They exclaimed happily, and caused Arthur to fall over from the weight of two adults leaning against him.

Arthur would later that day learn Lisa made it into Oxford as well, and the two families would get together and celebrate fruitfully, as well as saying goodbye to their children, whom were finally heading off to University.

– – – – – –

It was halfway through his first year of college that the best thing in the world happened to Arthur.

He had decided to go for a double major, one for Acting and one in Music. And one day, while doing a theater reenactment, Arthur played the phantom. He always put his all into his shows, but he was extra excited for this one, mainly because he read the book while in Primary School.

During the show, some more people came in during the scene change. It was too dark, but Arthur couldn't help but feel like he may know the person in the crowd.

They had a standing ovation afterward, and their teacher quickly jogged over once the curtains closed. Taking off his mask, he turned to look at the excited looking proffessor. "Arthur! Someone is backstage for you!" She said excitedly,"Go talk to him!"

"Okay Professor Toriel," Arthur said curiously, also wanting to calm the woman down. Walking into the back, he saw a pair of older looking men standing their.

"Hello sirs, are you the ones who want to talk to me?" The 18 year old asked, tilting his head. The two men nodded, and one spoke,"It's about your career after college, we see promise in you, Arthur"

Suddenly, Arthur recognized them.

"Y-y-you're Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss! Bloody hell!" He exclaimed, hand threading through his hair. "A-and you came to talk to me?!"

Steven Moffat nodded, and said,"We always come and look around for people with promising acting careers, and we've seen you several times. You're acting is amazing, your singing is even better. We want you"

"Want me?!" Arthur exclaimed, his voice breaking. This was crazy! He would have expected to be struck by lightning or win the lottery before something like this happened to him. "F-for what?" This day couldn't get any better! 

"Arthur, have you ever heard of a little show called.. Doctor Who?"

Correction

It just did.

"Wha- Bu- Y-you mean-" Pausing, he then pointed to himself and squeaked,"Me?" They nodded.

"It may be a year or two before Peter Capaldi leaves the project, as he has mentioned leaving after a while, mainly to pursue other offers he's gotten. We would love for someone with your experience to take his place. Until then.." Mark Gatiss handed him a paper packet.

It was an audition paper, for a show called 2P! "Auditions?" He asked,"This is the new show I've been hearing is in production! Y-you want me to audition?"

"Yes, we want you to be Oliver, the main character. Come for auditions at the address, and show us your true skill," Moffat said,"We hope to see you there"

For several moments afterward, Arthur could only stare in the direction they left in shock, before finally yelling," _OH MY FUCKING GOD!_ "

– – – – – –

Oliver's character kind of scared Arthur. After his classes, Arthur read the character description, and the lines he was supposed to read. The character was very sweet and adorable, but also psychotic. The show's premise was about a baker, Oliver Kirkland, whose daytime job was a cooking show, and nighttime job was killing people, sometimes with his baked goods.

Arthur's plays never got that crazy, so he spent many hours sitting on his laptop, studying crazy characters, re watching over and over. He mainly studied Moriarty in Steven Moffat's Sherlock, since Oliver seemed like a crazier version of him.

It got to the point his dorm mate got a little worried for his mental health, and he had to confide so that he wasn't send to a psych ward.

The auditions came, Arthur was one of the only people there. From what the woman at the front told him, the only people auditioning were the ones Steven and Mark found by themselves.

 _That_ _totally_ _doesn't add any more pressure~!_ Arthur wanted to sarcastically sing to the woman. He sat down and stared down at his script, rereading what he had already read several times.

"Nervous?" He heard a voice ask, and turned to look at who it was, seeing a tan young man with long brown hair. Arthur chuckled awkwardly and nodded.

The boy smiled and crossed his arms. "Don't worry! If they asked you to audition, they must like your stuff. I'll be auditioning for the part of Allen Jones with you, so if you do get the part, we'll be working together often," He said simply.

"Ah! Thank you!" Arthur replied happily,"Want to practice our lines?" The young man nodded, and they both got into it quickly.

After a while, Barnaby, as Arthur learned, said,"We have this in the bag, Arty!" Arthur blushed, and was about to reply when his name was called. Gasping as his nervousness came back, Barnaby gave him a shake, and a brave smile.

Arthur walked in, seeing Steven and Mark sitting on a desk. He walked on stage, and cleared his throat, before beginning to say the lines. He worded them in an over-exaggerated, high pitched, and cheery tone.

Changing to psychotic, he would then raise the pitch, and let his face get a little crazy. Barnaby joined him quickly, as they did their acting.

Finally, towards the end, Steven finally said,"We chose the right people, you both got the part. Shooting start next month, thank you for auditioning, especially you, Arthur"

Mark Gatiss then smiled and said,"I can see definite acting careers in both your futures, keep it up, and you'll be up there with the big ones in no time!"

Arthur and Barnaby walked out, releasing excited yells. "Yes!" They exclaimed excitedly, raising their papers in the air.

"See? I knew we could do it!" Barnaby said excitedly,"We should celebrate!"

Arthur nodded in agreement, saying,"How about we head to a pub? Perfect way to celebrate!" Barnaby nodded in agreement, and they were quickly on their way.

– – – – – –

Arthur's rise to stardom was quicker than he expected.

Soon after the first few episodes of 2P! were released, the show exploded in popularity. People couldn't get enough of Oliver and the gang. They desperately wanted to know who played the amazing characters.

He and the other actors were invited on shows, interviewed, it was all amazing. The best part was his parents' faces when he introduced them to the show, without telling them he was Oliver, and watching their faces when they figured it out.

In his second year of Uni, he had enough money to move out and get a nice house where he could have pets. He would leave cat food outside of his home, and had rescued many. He was also very surprised when one day, he came upon what looked like a.. Cat meeting?

He remembered that day well, as he had walked back from his morning classes, going to check his mail for anything, when he saw a circle of cats on his front lawn. He froze, when all the cats suddenly turned to stare at him.

There were eight cats. The first was a white cat with black fur around his neck underneath an American flag, and blue eyes. The second cat, a Scottish fold, had the same eyes as Arthur, with cream fur and brown spots, the third was a huge and fluffy cat with purple eyes, and a french bandana around his neck. The fourth, a sleek black cat with blue eyes and a German colored ribbon. The fifth resembled the Italian man Arthur remembered crashing into when he was 15, down to the curl. The six, looked a lot like the first cat, the only difference being a Canadian flag on his neck and the curl of fur on his head. The seventh was a Japanese Bobtail with black and white fur, and calm eyes. The last cat had black fur with white markings, and a Russian flag. However, he was very scary looking in the eyes.

When they continued to stare at him, the 19 year old awkwardly waved. "Uh.. Hello kitties.." He second he spoke, they quickly stood up and headed his way, colliding with his legs while purring and cuddling. He noticed the cat bowls he put on the front door were empty. So this strange group of cats were the ones eating all the food? He'd have to put out more bowls.

He pet many of them, until they all started to walk away. Except three kitties. The one with the American flag, Canadian flag, and the Scottish Fold.

Kneeling down, he asked,"Aww.. Poor kitties. Would you like to come with me?" They quickly popped up from their depressed looking state, meowing happily.

Arthur smiled and allowed the cats into his home, welcoming them with open arms.

– – – – – –

The next thing he knew, Arthur was getting more requests. From making songs, to movies. Luckily, he now had an agent to help him. After all, he was still in Uni, he couldn't control everything. Thankfully, his agent took the call to him, otherwise he would have fainted after being offered this opportunity.

"Wait, seriously?!" Arthur asked in shock, the news making him stop petting his cat. The cat, whom still had the American bandana around his neck, whined and pawed at Arthur's hand until he started petting him again.

His agent continued,"Yes! I'm serious! They want you to be the next Marvel hero, Arthur! It's an amazing opportunity!"

"I know! I just.. Didn't expect to be chosen," He said in surprise, as the two other cats lied on his lap as well, the Scottish fold kneading his green sweater.

His agent scoffed. "Arthur, how many times to I have to tell you that you are a very wanted actor! Your work on 2P! And the other shows you've starred in, the movie requests from Disney, what did you expect?"

"I'm sorry!" Arthur exclaimed before his agent could go any crazier,"I'm just surprised.. I'm not even 20 yet and all these people want me to act for them.. I mean nearly two years ago.. I was just an average kid.. A normal kid"

Silence on the other end of the phone

"A normal kid going to Oxford with a full scholarship?" She sarcastically asked.

"Hey, shut up," Arthur whined,"I'm just saying"

"Anyways.. Who do they want me to play?" He asked curiously, using his free hand to stop the Scottish fold, and puffy American cat from arguing.

"They want you to be Nova in his upcoming movie, so you'd better get ready!" She told him cheerfully, enjoying the sound of Arthur choking on his tea in shock.

She chuckled on the other side of the phone. "Well, do you accept?" She asked,"Knowing you'll probably have to leave England for a while?"

"Are you kidding?!" Arthur exclaimed,"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I say hell yeah!" His agent laughed, saying,"As always, your enthusiasm is amazing! I'll be sure to tell them, and we'll work out your schedule, since you're going to that convention, I believe they'll be starting filming afterward"

"Thank you!" Arthur said happily, hanging up afterward. He then sat up, hugging all three of his cats. "Did you hear that guys?!" He asked them, kissing each of their heads. "I'm gonna be Nova!" The cats meowed happily for him, until he finally placed them down.

The cats hopped off the couch and headed towards the dog and cat door he had installed on the front door. "Oh?" Arthur teasingly asked,"Is it time for the kitty meeting? What are you gonna discuss today? The distribution of cat treats to your subjects?"

Some people may say that Arthur asking those types of questions would be crazy, but they also didn't walk home from classes every day to witness eight cats just sitting in a circle and meowing at each other for about a half hour, before walking back to their owners.

The cats left, and Arthur got up. He took his teacup and walked back to the kitchen, putting it into the sink.

He walked outside with his backpack, it was time for classes. He walked outside, avoiding the cat meeting, and going down the sidewalk towards his University.

Listening to the sound of tweeting birds, and seeing his school ahead of him. He stopped for a moment, closing his eyes. He took a deep breath, and took in everything around him.

Yes, this was his life, a life he loved so much, and he wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

– – – – – –

 _ **I hope you all enjoyed!**_

 _ **The Next Chapter: The nations are back! And this time, back for good~!**_


	4. The Beginning of Reunion

_**I HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR WHY THIS TOOK SO LONG, BUT EXPECT ALL MY OLD FICS TO BE REWRITTEN AND UPDATED AND I DECIDED TO GET OFF MY LAZY ASS FOR THIS TOO**_

 _ **Also, I know, he was going to be Nova but I don't know that superhero well so now he's Spoderman**_

 _ **Also, special thanks to my friend Auhds on Archive of our Own, and random Hetalia fan on Shamchat named Liz who helped me decide Arthur's height. You the real MVP girly gurl**_

 _ **(**_ _ **･ㅂ･**_ _ **)**_ و

 _ **Anyways, onto the story!**_

The world just seemed so gray..

America found himself staring out the window of his New York apartment. His eyes, which would usually be alight with excitement, were now filled with morbid sense of sadness. It was July 3rd, and usually he would be looking forward to the next day with near violent impatience. But he just didn't anymore. Not since that day fourteen years ago, the day that England disappeared.

Leaning against the window, America opened his bomber jacket, pulling out the drawing. He stared at it in sadness, before pocketing it again. "I don't understand.. Why did you have to leave us?" He whispered, pulling his knees up to his chest and closing his eyes. "Why did you leave _me?_ "

He rested his forehead against his knees, and sighed. But he didn't get to rest for long, as there was a sudden knock on his door. America sighed again, he seemed to be doing that a lot lately. "Go away.." He ground out, rubbing his face against his knees even more.

The door opened anyways, to reveal Japan. The smaller nation looked at his friend, barely hiding the concern in his eyes. Poor America, he was still feeling the fallout of England's disappearance. He saw the small drawing they found as some kind of sign that England hated him the most, no matter how many times the other nations had tried to reassure him. He sunk into a depression, luckily it didn't take his country with him, but it was still so hard to watch a man who used to be so loud and eccentric sink so low.

"America-kun," He softly voiced his welcome,"I just came to inform you that everyone is situated in the hotel, for the meeting on the fifth."

"Okay.." America whispered back, really not in the mood. He would have really enjoyed if the meeting wasn't here, and wasn't on the day they realized England was gone. "You can leave now, I'm okay," He attempted, desperate to be left alone.

Japan made a suspicious noise, walking over to the window, and kneeling next to America. "I don't think so, Alfred," He said seriously,"I know why you are upset, but you do realize that England-kun wouldn't want you to continue being sad, correct?"

America frowned, lifting his head up. He glared at the other nation angrily, and asked,"How the hell would you know what England _wants?_ How do we know that is something he would want, when we don't even know what happened to him?!"

Japan looked at America, and frowned. He looked terrible. He looked skinnier, with paler skin, messy hair, and bags under his eyes. Japan would have helped if he could, but America had tended to isolate himself a lot more as of late. A lot of nations tried to ignore how much of impact England had truly been in their lives, and how much they missed him, by acting as if nothing changed. But with others, it was harder for them to hide. Like Germany, Italy, France, America, and even himself.

"You're correct," Japan said, trying to mend the situation. "But you know you would want him to do the same if you disappeared, correct?" He then asked,"You wouldn't want England to give up and not try to live on for you, would you?"

America looked down. He knew Japan was right, but he couldn't help but feel like this was all somehow his fault. He knew it was probably a wild accusation.. But.. "I just.." America softly began,"I just wish I could see him again.."

Japan, in an act of physical contact he usually wouldn't do, reached out and rubbed America's back gently. "We all do, America," He said softly,"But I don't think that he's ever coming back. All that we can do is keep his country healthy, and live on for him. It's what he would have wanted, though I am sure it would have involved a lot more yelling."

America snorted loudly, before breaking into small giggles. "Y-yeah, Iggy would have wanted that," He chortled, looking at Japan's calm, yet concerned eyes. He then uncurled himself a bit, pulling off his glasses, and rubbing his eyes.

Japan felt the awkward tension growing in the room. He did not want to leave his friend alone, worried that the result of him leaving would be sending America back into his spiraling, self deprecating thoughts. He also didn't want to be alone. Back when England was still around, he would hang out with him, they bonded over their loneliness. But now, Japan felt even more empty. He had lost a friend, but he was not losing another.

"America, let's go out, do some walking in a park and drinking tomorrow," Japan finally suggested,"I know you probably have friends you want to celebrate with, but I would like to join you. I'm sure that would cheer you up.. But of course, if you'd rather stay inside and play video games and watch movies, I don't mind."

The blonde seemed to contemplate his words for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, no video games for once," He softly said,"I think.. Some fresh air would do me some good. You're right, I shouldn't stay cooped up here forever."

Japan felt a rare, soft smile crawl up on his face, as he nodded gently. "Thank you, America," He happily replied, before settling down more as he sat next to him. They didn't need to say anything, they just needed to ignore their sadness, and ignore the ever present fact that England was never coming back..

They would soon find out how wrong they were..

During the very next day.

JFK International Airport

July 3rd

"Hurry, guys, hurry!"

Arthur looked at his mother's, rolling his eyes playfully at his new little sister's antics. "Settle down, Sophie!" He called,"We still have to get our bags before we get to the hotel."

Sophie turned to Arthur, her bouncy, curly hair framing her dark skinned face. The girl had joined their family only three months ago, from the same orphanage that Arthur came from. She was 10, and a very loud, excitable kid, perfectly fitting into the family.

"How can I settle down!?" Sophie exclaimed, jumping again. "You're going to be playing Spider-Man, Arthur. _Spider-Man!_ It's so cool!"

Rose giggled, hugging the girl as they saw their bags rolling in. "Yes, well we won't be able to go onto the set until we get everything into the hotel, so let's make sure we have our bags first, alright?" She told her.

Sophie nodded excitedly, running and grabbing her purple bag from the conveyor belt. Arthur grabbed his own bag, as well as his mothers'. "Are we ready?" He asked. Sophie nodded again, and Arthur smirked evilly. "I dunno if we are.. I think I may have to stand here for another few hours and think about it.." He slowly said, rubbing his chin.

"Aaaaaaarthuuuuuur!" Sophie whined loudly,"Don't you dare do this! I know what you're doing!"

Rose looked at Karla, and crossed her arms. "I don't know.. Should we fly back to England and make sure we had everything?" She asked,"I think I forgot a stencil.."

Sophie then pouted, crossing her arms, and tapping her foot. Arthur then chuckled, ruffling her hair, and began walking to the door. "I'm just kidding, sis, we're going to have lots of fun on set today, and then we'll have even more fun tomorrow!" He told her happily.

"Do you think I'll get to meet Robert Downey Jr?!" The girl asked hopefully, and Arthur smiled even wider, if that was possible. "Well, he is in the movie. Shooting just started today, he'll probably be there!"

The girl squealed in excitement, running out as her family followed after her. Outside, there was a car waiting to take them to the hotel. They got inside, and the two younger occupants gawked at the city around them. "Bloody Hell…" Arthur whispered,"It's amazing!"

"Language, Arthur!" Karla whispered, before smiling and leaning against Rose. "Yeah, it's gotten even nicer than the last time me and Rose came here.."

Both Arthur and Sophie looked at their mums in confusion. "When did either of you come to New York?" The blonde asked, arching one of his noticeable brows. Rose and Karla turned and looked at each other, and smirked.

"Well Arty, let's just say that one of our 'business trips' when you were a kid was more like a vacation," The short haired woman cheekily declared.

Arthur gasped, and then reached up to his eyes as a tear fell. "So cruel, Mum. Leaving me to suffer with Mrs. Kim as a babysitter," He whined,"You never tell me anything.."

"Oh don't even start with that, Mr. Actor," Rose called out,"I know you've learned how to cry on command, and Mrs. Kim is a nice old woman."

"She brought her five annoying chihuahuas over whenever she babysit me, the whole house would smell like baby powder and bleach after she left, and all she knew how to cook was bloody cabbage and eggplants in the microwave!" Arthur declared, crossing his arms and pouting.

Sophie cringed at the thought, and then said,"I don't think I wanna meet her.." Arthur quickly shook his head in agreement, and declared,"If mum and Mama ever leave, Sophie, you can come and stay with me while they're gone. I'll never allow my little sister to be tormented by microwaved vegetables."

The girl grinned happily, as their car came to a stop. They climbed out, the hotel service taking their bags as they walked in the hotel. They got to their room from the elevator, where the man was waiting to open the door. Their parents walked in, but Arthur saw the calculating look in his sister's eyes.

Sophie innocently skipped over to the man by the door. "Excuse me, old chap," She then said sweetly,"Would you like a tip?"

The man at the door looked surprised, before smiling and holding out his hand. The girl dug into her pocket, pulling out a stick of gum, and placing it in his hand. The young girl released a peal of giggles before skittering into the hotel room after her mums.

Arthur rolled his eyes good naturedly, and then pulled out his own wallet. "I'm terribly sorry," He said to the young man,"They were showing Home Alone 2 on the plane, I'm sure it's given her plenty of ideas other than that."

He handed the young man a nice tip, only to see him staring at Arthur in awe. "Hm? What is it?" He asked, tilting his head curiously.

"Y-you're A-Arthur Kirkland, you're from that show 2P!" The young man exclaimed,"I-I can't believe I just got a tip from Arthur Kirkland!"

Arthur blinked in surprise, before smiling. "I was expecting to be recognized eventually, but I'm surprised it happened so quickly," He admitted, before asking,"Would you like to take a picture?"

The man nodded excitedly, reaching into his jacket, and bringing out his phone. They posed, Arthur giving a peace sign and the man merely grinning excitedly. Once the picture was taken, he excitedly said,"I'll post it after work! Could I get your autograph later, once I have something good for you to sign?"

Arthur nodded, and said,"Of course! I'll be staying for a few months, so whenever you want. I need to go though, and sleep off this jetlag."

"Okay, have a great night Mr. Kirkland!" He exclaimed, as Arthur walked in and shut the door. Once the actor had left, the young man let his work attitude escape him for one last moment as he looked at the photo, and squealed.

He scurried away, hoping nobody saw him. But two other men, one with brown hair and glasses, and an albino, did witness it. They raised their eyebrows in surprise, and the albino then asked,"I wonder what he was freaking out about, perhaps he saw my awesome self coming and couldn't handle it?"

The brunette man rolled his eyes, before grumbling,"Why do I have to be roomed with Prussia, this is ridiculous.."

The two nations walked right past the door, unknown to them, the person they had been missing for so long was right behind it, just as oblivious as them.

July 4th

" _I can't.. There's no way I can shoot you.."_

 _Something clattered, there was the sound of mud splashing up_

 _There was the sound of rain_

" _Why… Damn it, why?! It's not fair!"_

" _You know why."_

 _The sound of sobs ran clear._

" _What happened to you..?"_

 _This voice sent pain through his heart._

" _I remember when you used to be great.."_

" _England.."_

"Arthur.."

" _America.."_

"Arthur!"

" _I'm so sorry.."_

"AR-THUR! WAKE. UP!"

The sudden, painful slamming on his stomach caused Arthur to cry out. Wheezing, he lifted his head the best he could, he saw Sophie sitting on his stomach. "Oh, you little heathen!" He exclaimed, grabbing his pillow and throwing it into her face. She squealed, falling backwards. This caused Arthur's dogs Jock the Scottish Terrier, Baxter the Corgi, and Pippin the Border Collie to bark in surprise and leap out of the way.

Sophie leapt off the bed, grabbing one of her stuffed dolls and throwing it back at the blonde. Arthur ducked, before throwing his other pillow. Sophie squealed, ducking the pillow only for Arthur to grab her around the waist and lift her up. "No! I'll never surrender!" She cried out.

Arthur moved his arms, grabbing Sophie's ankle and beginning to tickling the bottom of her foot. The girl burst out into laughter, flailing her limbs violently as she desperately attempted to escape his hold. For several moments this went on, until Sophie finally yelled,"Okay! You win! You win!"

He let go of the panting girl, before flopping on the ground beside her, having lost his breath trying to hold his eccentric sister in breathed hard for a moment, before Arthur finally breathed out,"I win again."

"Not fair, you're like 6'1", I'm not done growing yet," Sophie whined, before sitting up and growing serious. "What were you dreaming about, anyways?" She questioned,"You looked like you were going to start crying, and your alarm didn't wake you up! Mum and Mama left to go look around, I didn't know what to do!"

Arthur frowned, he sort of recalled the dream making him sad, he had felt so horrible.. Why couldn't he remember what happened? "I.. Don't remember anymore actually.. I suppose there is not much I can do about that now.." He then looked at the time,"Ah! We've gotta get ready if we're going to be late!"

They quickly hurried, both excited to start their days. Sophie got dressed by putting her hair in two poofy pigtails with a purple headband in between them, and a black and purple striped dress that matched up with her dark skin gracefully. She looked absolutely adorable.

Arthur dressed himself in a brown beanie, though his blonde hair escaped out the front a bit. He had a blue and white check jacket left opened with horn toggle buttons, a gray cardigan underneath it with a white shirt below that. His pants were black as well as some shoes. He decided that he was not going to dress fancy when he was going to change anyways. Sophie put the three dogs on a leash, and then following her outside.

The car ride there sent nerves through the both of them. Sophie was growing excited, hoping desperately that her favorite superhero would be there on the first day of shooting, if she could meet him then her life would be complete. Arthur, meanwhile, was even more nervous. This would be his first time on such a huge project, with Disney _and_ Marvel! What if he didn't do okay..?

But that wasn't the only thing. There was a nagging in the back of his head, something telling him that today was the start of something he wouldn't expect, something that would warp the world he knew forever.

But before he could delve into this feeling, the driver said,"Mr. Kirkland, it seems there's a crowd of fans outside the set. Would you like me to drive around, or maybe get some security for you?"

Arthur looked at his watch, and shook his head. "They've been waiting there for a while, and it's still rather early anyways. I have time, but could you take Sophie inside? She's desperate to see if a certain Iron Man is on set," He told the driver, who nodded as Sophie grinned.

Arthur and Sophie got out of the car, security led the girl inside as fans called out for Arthur. The young man smiled, thinking _Here we go!_ As he walked into the little crowd of people, being enveloped into the excitement.

"You know, Japan," America softly began, looking at the skyscrapers around him. "You were right about the whole 'fresh air' thing, I actually feel a lot better.. Getting my mind off of.. _Him_ for a little bit."

Japan nodded gently, licking at his green tea ice cream as he watched America stuff himself with what looked to be a heart attack in a hot dog, covered with a bunch of toppings. Even though America's disgusting mouth noises and the fact he tried to talk around his food normally bothered him, Japan was glad to see that America was eating.

"Follow me, I know a shortcut back to my penthouse! We can play those new games you brought!" America exclaimed happily, turning into a large street with surprisingly no traffic.

" _Hai,_ that sounds good," Japan softly whispered, before noticing a crowd on the other side of the street. It was a mix of several ages, and they all seemed to be crowding around one person. "Now, who do you suppose..?" He said aloud.

America looked over and chuckled. "Oh, those are some studios where a lot of movies are shot in New York, y'know, if they have scenes they have to do here but don't wanna go to Hollywood just to shoot other scenes when you can just all do them here?" America replied at such a fast pace Japan could nearly not keep up.

"Oh, I see," He calmly replied, looking at the small crowd. "Should we go over and see who it is?"

America shook his head,"Nah, they're probably overwhelmed enough as it is" He then stuffed the rest of his hot dog in his mouth. The other nation nodded, and the two began to walk away, planning to leave the whole situation alone. That was, until they heard someone yell.

"Arthur Kirkland, over here!"

America and Japan froze, their hearts stopping. America felt his heart fall into his stomach, as his mind raced for a conclusion. Japan and him turned towards the crowd, moving to the edge of the sidewalk as they tried to see the person who was called that.

The people continued to swarm him, and Amercia found himself walking farther forward to try and see. The crowd moved just a bit, as one of the girls exclaimed,"You're so handsome, Arthur, how are you still single?!"

The question may be stupid, but it was what got the blonde to turn around, his green eyes widening as a blush came over his face. He laughed a bit, and awkwardly declared,"Well, I guess that I've always been so busy.. I've never really thought about anything like that.."

That voice, that accent, those eyes, those eyebrows, that smile.. It was.. It couldn't be.. After all these years it was..

"England?" America croaked, staring at the man in shock. His heart was already beating fast, his vision seemed to be fading, and it got even faster as England's eyes seemed to turn towards him.

The blue and green eyes kept contact for several seconds, and it was all American could seem to notice was those eyes, the ones he had desperately missed. He didn't even notice the panicked yells around him, but he wondered why England suddenly looked panicked too. Had he noticed America was there, if so, why was he afraid?

England then looked even more panicked, as he pushed past the people, and yelled,"Sir! GET OUT OF THE ROAD!"

America was confused, his addled mind not registering it for a moment. Watch out? Watch out for what? He turned to his left, and then found himself face to face with a large truck barreling towards him.

All he could do was watch it zoom forward and-


	5. Author's Note

So I reread this and I've decided there are quite a few things I don't like, and want to rewrite. The title will be changed as well. Don't worry, the plot is still very much the same. I just want to add more detail to Arthur's life and fix a few other things.

The title will possibly be changed, because it's kinda long XD

I have a few question for you, my readers.

Is there anything you'd like to see/for me to add?

Any ships you want?

Any constructive criticism?

Thank you! As soon as all the chapters are fixed, the new one will be up instantly!


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